Say My Name
by lovecassia
Summary: Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya were normal classmates in their last year at UA. The fighting had stopped sometime during their first year, Bakugo ignoring Midoriya stopped during their second year. But the newest change in their relationship might just be too much for Izuku to handle.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hi guys! This is my first fanfic in probably 10+ years. There will be a few more chapters to follow, so please stay tuned! I'm also interested in getting prompts so I can try to get better at my writing as well. So let me know what you think and let me know if you have something you want to see written! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing about My Hero Academia.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Everything seemed to slowly fade out around Izuku as he stared at his childhood friend who had his hand outstretched towards him. The battle was forgotten in an instant.

Bakugo's face contorted into anger when he noticed Izuku froze. "Oi, dumb ass!"

His voice seemed to bring Izuku back from the depths of his mind; Izuku grabbed the taller boy's hand, who swung him around before launching him towards their opponent. He slammed into the robot, feet first, knocking it sideways and causing it to crash to the ground.

"Bakugo, Midoriya, pass." Aizawa spoked into the microphone in his normal bored tone.

Bakugo stretched his arms as he started his walk towards the training grounds exit. Izuku, however, stood in the same spot, staring at the blonde's back. A million thoughts ran through his head. What did this mean? Things had been a lot better with Kaachan recently, but this wasn't expected. Did he finally see him as a worthy opponent? As a teammate? As a friend? Was it a joke? It couldn't have been a joke because he did it during a training exercise. He wouldn't joke when they were being graded. This didn't make any sen—

"What the fuck are you doing?! Quit mumbling! Let's go!" Izuku stiffened at Bakugo's rough voice yelling back at him.

"O-Okay!" He yelled before trotting up to him. "Ne, Kaachan…" He glanced over to the other boy, who kept walking as if he didn't hear him. He sighed and looked at his feet. Maybe it was best that he didn't ask.

"Spit it out, twerp."

"I, uh… we make a good team, Kaachan!"

Bakugo grunted, neither agreeing or disagreeing. The rest of the walk back to the group was quiet. But Izuku couldn't stop replaying that scene in his head, over and over. It was surreal.

The image of Bakugo reaching towards Izuku, fire in his eyes.

" _Take my hand, Midoriya!"_

* * *

The day following the training exercise, Izuku woke up abruptly, sitting up and putting a hand up to cover his eyes. He had a thin layer of sweat on his face. He took in a deep breath. This was not good. This was not good at all.

It was one thing to freeze during the training exercise when Bakugo said his name. It was unexpected, so that was a fair response. But this…this was not a fair response. This was a betrayal of his mind.

He huffed as he dropped onto his back again. His chest felt so tight he grabbed at the collar of his shirt hoping to relieve some of the pressure. What had Kaachan done to him? His mind was a jumbled mess. He didn't have a single coherent thought, yet he was thinking of everything at once. Yet, one thing stood out more than the rest.

" _Take my hand, Midoriya!"_

Izuku bit his lip. This really wasn't fair. Kaachan probably didn't even realize he did it, since they were trying to complete the ninth consecutive training exercise that day. It probably slipped because he'd been less hostile to Izuku in their most recent years. So why was his mind betraying him? Why did he have to dream about Kaachan in that way?

He brushed his lips with the tips of his fingers. He could still smell burning firewood in his nose, he could still feel the pressure of the Kaachan's lips on his, he could still taste...

He shook his head and sat up again. It was just a dream, and dreams are weird sometimes. That's all it was.

His alarm blared, bringing him from his thoughts. He sighed and shut it off. Even if his thoughts were a mess, he still had to go for his morning run. He would have to get through this day even if his mind had betrayed him during the night. There was no way he could let anyone know.

But as he walked towards the track, he couldn't keep the image out of his head. As he ran, he couldn't stop hearing that gruff voice say his name. As he showered, he couldn't get the feeling of the other's lips off his own. As he walked to class, he couldn't get the thought of his head that maybe, just maybe, Kaachan did this on purpose.

"Oi, Deku, out of the way."

Bakugo shoved past Izuku as he walked into the classroom. Izuku felt his face fall.

Or maybe he really did say it on accident.

He trudged to his seat and laid his head down without acknowledging his other classmates. Could he get through this day? Really? This felt like torture and the day had barely started. At least today consisted of only lectures, so he could focus on taking notes.

However, the day drug on slowly. Izuku cast glances towards Bakugo at random times during each class. Bakugo was taking notes and never made a move that anything was different. He was already exhausted. He couldn't focus on class, his notes were as jumbled as his mind. He would have to ask Iida or Uraraka for their notes later.

A sigh escaped his lips as he laid his head on his desk a few minutes before class ended, while everyone else packed up to head for lunch as Aizawa continued his lecture. Today was a really "off" day and he couldn't seem to get into his normal routine. He wanted to blame Kaachan, but he knew that Kaachan didn't do anything wrong. He was just fighting with himself.

"Tch. What are you doing?" Speak of the devil. "Everyone is already gone."

Izuku sighed again. Why didn't Uraraka or Iida stop to grab him?

"I didn't sleep well last night, Kaachan."

"Don't make that everyone else's problem."

"I'm not." Izuku finally looked up towards Bakugo, defiant against the accusation. The blonde was staring intently at him, but quickly looked away when their eyes met.

"Whatever. Don't miss lunch, nerd." Bakugo threw his bag over his shoulder before walking out of the door. Izuku heard Kirishima asking him what the hold up was and Bakugo grunt in reply as their voices faded away.

After he could no longer hear them talking, he finally heaved himself out of his chair and made his way to the cafeteria. Uraraka was the first to see him, waving her arms wildly when she saw him come in. He smiled and walked over to the table, noticing she had grabbed an extra lunch tray for him as well.

"Thank you for grabbing me some food, Uraraka!"

"You're welcome! I felt bad when we just left you in the classroom but Bakugo had a really scary look on his face when I started coming to get you!"

Izuku froze. "What?"

"It was weird! I saw you had your head down and thought maybe you felt bad but Bakugo looked like he might snap if I went over there. I thought…maybe you had said…something to him during class about wanting…to be left alone?" Uraraka slowed during the last sentence, seemingly uncomfortable with the rationalization she had used earlier and suddenly unsure if she made the right decision.

Izuku smiled at her again. She was never sure how to take his relationship with Kaachan. Hell, he wasn't either, so it's not like he could blame her for wanting to assume they were friendly with each other. It's not like Kaachan was ever at his throat like their first year at UA anymore, but he wouldn't say they were on good terms either. Sometimes they were civil, though. It was a weird mixture of interactions.

"I had told him I didn't sleep well last night." It wasn't exactly a lie, he supposed. "He must've thought I needed to rest my eyes for a minute."

Iida rested his chin in his hand. "Hmm, that is very much unlike Mr. Bakugo, though."

"Y-yeah. Oh! Iida, is it possible I can use your notes from class today? I wasn't able to concentrate that well..."

Iida shook his head solemnly. "I am going home this weekend to see my family and was going to take my notes with me to study."

"That's okay. What about you, Uraraka?"

Uraraka gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm going to visit my parents and am taking my notes as well. Maybe Momo...?"

Izuku just shook his head. "It's okay. I'll just study out of the book for this chapter. I shouldn't have even made you two worry about it. Let's eat!"

The rest of the day seemed to drone on in the same fashion. Glancing at Kaachan, trying to take notes, reassuring his friends that everything was fine. By the time he made it back to his dorm, he felt like he had been up for days. He had thrown himself onto his bed, dropping his bag onto the floor beside him, and slowly letting his shoulders relax. The tension in his entire body seemed to slowly dissipate as he started to fall asleep.

A knock at his door pulled him from his sleep. Sunlight was no longer filtering through his window, so he had been asleep for at least a few hours. He wiped at his eyes as he slowly sat up. The person on the other side knocked again. Most people went home for the weekend, so who could possibly be knocking at his door at this time?

As he made his way over to the door, he heard someone talking on the other side. He paused before his hand could touch the handle at the sound of Bakugo's voice.

"Damn Midoriya. Always making things a hassle."

His name again. Kaachan was saying his name again.

He must've heard him wrong.

Bakugo huffed to himself, rustling some papers around. Izuku finally opened the door; the blonde was starting to turn around and walk off.

"Kaachan?"

"Dumbass."

Izuku pursed his lips. Did Kaachan just come here to insult him?

Bakugo turned to face Izuku before looking away. He lifted some papers towards Izuku.

"Today's notes."

Izuku stared at the notes Bakugo had outstretched towards him. He glanced up at him, confusion written across his face as plain as day. Bakugo was still refusing to look at him. Izuku wasn't sure if he was annoyed or…he didn't know what that look meant, actually. He finally grabbed the papers from Bakugo, studying his face.

"Th-thank you, Kaachan."

Bakugo grunted and started to turn away. "Don't mention it."

"Wait!"

"What, Deku?"

Izuku froze. He hadn't expected Kaachan to turn around and face him. He hadn't expected Kaachan to even be here. He really hadn't expected Kaachan to not be annoyed at this moment. But the thing that through him off the most was that he hadn't spit out the name "Deku" with any annoyance; there was no trace of hatred. It was almost…soft.

"Can you help me study? My, uh…I've been having trouble focusing all day and I might need more than just notes."

Bakugo ran his fingers through his hair before glancing away. "Not tonight."

Izuku felt his breath hitch in his throat and his chest began ache. Maybe he'd been imagining how Kaachan had been acting the last few days. It had seemed like Kaachan was trying to become friends but he was still as gruff as he always was. Maybe Izuku had really imagined it because he liked the way his name sounded as it rolled off Kaachan's lips. He felt his face start to warm up at the thought. He hugged the notes to his chest.

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Kaachan." He smiled and looked to his feet. "I'll give these back as soon as I'm done copying them."

Silence.

Izuku glanced up at him. Bakugo was watching him intently. Their eyes met and Izuku felt as if he was going to float away. They could be civil, but they were never around each other alone very often. And they certainly never offered to help each other unless they were partnered up for class. It was probably a good thing with how he felt as if butterflies were flitting around inside his stomach while he stared into those crimson eyes.

He had never really thought about how good looking Kaachan was, but he had never ignored it either. Suddenly, however, he was very aware of it. Kaachan wasn't wearing the school uniform anymore; he was in some sweatpants and a tight tank top. Izuku swallowed. This really wasn't good. How did he go from wanting to be friends with Kaachan to thinking about him like this after one day? After one sentence?

" _Take my hand, Midoriya!"_

Izuku shook his head. He couldn't be thinking about this right now.

Bakugo's gravelly voice brought him back. "Tomorrow."

"Huh?"

By the time he looked back up, Bakugo was looking away again. "I'll help you study tomorrow."

Silence.

Izuku felt like a thousand weights were lifted off his shoulders, as tension he didn't even know he was holding was released. He smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Kaachan."

"Tch." Bakugo turned and started walking away. "I'll be back here tomorrow night at 10. I have other things to do before them."

"Okay!"

He watched Bakugo leave before shutting his door. He slowly found his way to his desk, one arm holding the notes, his other hand clutching his chest. His heart was beating so fast. He could feel his pulse thumping in his hands and feet. The last time his heart beat this fast over someone else was when he had a crush on Uraraka their first year.

He froze.

The last time his heart beat this fast over someone else was when he had a crush on Uraraka.

Oh no.

Oh no.

This really was bad.

He laid the notes Bakugo left with him on the desk and changed out of his uniform as his thoughts ran wild.

Did this mean he had a crush on Kaachan? No, of course not. This was all just because Kaachan started using his name. It was only because it was new. There was no way he felt that way towards Kaachan. They were childhood friends! Not to mention they were still working on how to act around each other. That's all it was.

He nodded to himself as he laid back down. It explained everything.

But then his fingers traced his lips, and he could feel Kaachan's lips against his again. He closed his eyes and thought back to the dream he had the night before. They had been training together in the woods, smoke and debris everywhere around them as a result of their two quirks. They had been training when suddenly Kaachan grabbed Izuku by his collar unexpectedly and crashed their lips together. The action had surprised him, but not enough for him to not kiss him back. And they had stood like that, lips moving, arms wrapping around each other…Kaachan bit his lip.

And that was when he woke up.

He rubbed his temples. Could he even focus tomorrow when studying with Kaachan? Surely he'd have all of this out of his system by tomorrow. There was no way anything could happen tomorrow that would make this even more weird.

" _Take my hand, Midoriya!"_

" _Damn Midoriya."_

He bit his lip. He really liked how his name sounded when Kaachan said it. He really wanted him to keep saying it. And as he fell asleep, he wondered if he would get to hear it again tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hey guys! Long time now see! I'm so sorry for the almost month-long wait. I had an unexpected death in the family and now I'm dealing with college finals. Once finals are done, hopefully I can get a few chapters out pretty quick for you guys as a reward for being so patient!

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

"Why did you say you'd need me here, Deku?"

Bakugo fell backwards onto Izuku's bed, letting out a sigh. Izuku glanced over at him from where he sat at his desk. He took in how relaxed Bakugo was, how his arms were folded behind his head as he laid facing the ceiling, his eyes closed. He was in similar attire from the day before, sweats and a tank top. Izuku couldn't help but to admire how in shape Bakugo was. He had always been fit, but he'd been training so consistently and with so much fire the last few years that his muscles were much more defined now.

Izuku smiled as he looked back to the notes they were almost done going over. "Sorry, Kaachan. I was really out of it during class yesterday and really didn't think notes would be enough. I didn't know your notes were so detailed."

"Tch."

Silence.

This is how most of the studying had gone in the hour that had passed. Izuku had hoped they would talk more, but it seemed that Kaachan was expecting him to just ask questions as he had them. Which, now that he thought about it, was exactly how Kaachan would act.

Izuku continued rewriting the notes as silence filled the room. It was the fifth time he'd copied down Bakugo's notes today, but every time he'd done so he'd learned something new that he had glazed over the time before that. Bakugo had arrived during one of his breaks, so he had asked if they could go over them as he rewrote the notes to make sure he didn't have any more questions. So far he really hadn't. They had spoked for maybe five minutes the entire time.

Bakugo let out a short sigh from the bed causing Izuku to glance over at him. He nodded to himself as he turned to face him.

"Kaachan?"

"What?"

Izuku shifted in his seat slightly, his face suddenly red as he watched the blonde. "Why did you agree to study with me?"

Bakugo's eyes opened slowly, glancing sideways to Izuku. His expression, however, remained relaxed. The room suddenly felt still as Izuku stared at him. He was refusing to back down from the question, whether the other boy wanted to answer him or not.

"Idiot." Bakugo looked towards the ceiling. "You asked me to."

Izuku raised a brow. "You could've said no."

"Does it matter?"

The pen that Izuku had been using to rewrite his notes rolled from the desk, landing on the floor with a small "click". The room seemed to regain its movement. Izuku smiled, the irony that a pen drop is what caused the tension to fade away. He shook his head and leaned down to grab his pen before starting on the notes again. His face dropped when he realized he was on the last page.

A few minutes later he sighed, mumbling. "Hey…Kaachan?"

Bakugo grunted from the bed in response. Izuku glanced at him again. How could he be so close yet so far away?

"I'm done with the notes."

The other boy didn't say anything, nor did he move. Izuku figured he would be making a quick get away once he said they were finished, but there he was still laying on the bed, not moving a muscle. Izuku turned the chair to take in the sight.

Kaachan still had his arms folded behind his head, one leg stretched out while the other was bent slightly. His breathing was slow, his eyes closed. Izuku smiled. He looked so peaceful laying there and it was a shame he was going to leave soon. Izuku really enjoyed spending time with Kaachan one-on-one. They didn't talk much but just having his company was enough.

Bakugo finally sat up, his leg that had been lying flat shifted off of the bed while he propped himself up on the other. His eyes met with Izuku's and they sat like that for what felt like minutes before he cleared his throat. He stood and walked over to the desk, looking over the two pairs of notes.

"If you're done, I'm leaving."

"Okay." Izuku rearranged Bakugo's notes and handed the papers to him. "Thank you for coming over Kaachan."

Bakugo nodded, taking his notebook and heading for the door. As his hand grabbed the handle, Izuku spoke up again.

"Maybe we can study together again?"

The blonde froze but did not say a word. Izuku scrunched up his face as he tried to study the other boy's body language, but it didn't look any different from normal. He was just standing there.

"We don't have to if you're not interested. I just figured we could help each other succeed. You take really good notes, and when I normally take notes I mostly write questions, so we could bounce ideas off each other."

Bakugo stayed silent, stayed frozen, for what felt like an eternity before he opened the door and left. Izuku stared at the door, confusion plastered across his face.

Had he said something to offend Kaachan? He didn't think that asking to study together was that big of a deal. Things had seemed to really be normal between them, especially while they studied. It wasn't like normal friends studying, he could admit that. When he studied with Uraraka or Iida there was a lot more talking, but he had enjoyed the silence between bouncing questions back and forth that came with studying with Kaachan. It was surprisingly…normal and domestic feeling.

Domestic.

Izuku chuckled as he walked over and laid on his bed. Kaachan being domestic was an interesting thought. Before tonight, Izuku never would've described him as tame or calm.

He hugged his pillow and smiled to himself. It smelled like Kaachan. He didn't know what exactly the scent was, but it made him think of sitting in a forest near a lake with a bonfire going. He continued to lay like that, wondering to himself if Kaachan would ever answer him about studying together again.

It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep, face down in the pillow.

* * *

Izuku tapped his chin as he stared down at his notes. Studying had been hard the past few days. He was going through the motions, but it didn't feel right anymore. After Kaachan had sat with him and studied almost a week ago, he realized how empty his room felt when he tried to study alone. Well, it's not like he needed Kaachan to study. And he didn't need him there either. They had barely interacted since he was over Saturday night to study anyways.

He sighed and laid his head on his desk. This wasn't fair. Every time he'd tried to study his mind always went back to Kaachan. This never happened before, even when Kaachan had started talking to him openly in class last year. So why was it different now?

" _Take my hand, Midoriya."_

A groan escaped his lips. Why couldn't he get that out of his head? That's when this entire mess started. It had just been over a week and his entire focus had shifted from being the number one hero to-

A sharp knock at his door stopped his thoughts short. He glanced at his clock and furrowed his brows. It was just after 10 at night. Who could be here at this time? Another knock.

He made his way to the door, opening it hesitantly. He bit his tongue as he swung it open, staring at the boy on the other side.

"Kaachan? What are you doing here?"

Bakugo stared at him, frustration evident across his face. "Why don't you ever answer after I knock the first time?"

"Huh? You're the one that keeps coming over unannounced." Izuku fired back.

"Tch. Whatever."

Izuku watched the blonde with curiosity, trying to read his expression as the blonde glanced away and ran a hand through his hair. After a moment, Bakugo finally looked back towards Izuku.

"I brought my notes." He stated flatly, lifting his notebook so Izuku could see.

"I… You… What?" Izuku didn't know what to ask first, every thought in his mind jumbled together incoherently, and he could feel his cheeks heating up.

Bakugo lifted an eyebrow. "You said you wanted to study together."

Izuku nodded, biting his tongue lightly as he stepped out of the way and motioned for Bakugo to come in. Bakugo walked in and made his way to Izuku's bed. He stepped up on to the side and turned, plopping down with his back to the wall before opening his notebook, pulling a highlighter and pencil from his pocket. Izuku shut the door and watched Bakugo for a moment before he sat back at his desk and continued studying himself. He couldn't help but notice how relaxed Bakugo was and caught himself glancing at him occasionally. But Bakugo kept his eyes on his notebook, entirely focused on studying.

They sat in silence for nearly an hour before a yawn escaped Izuku's mouth. Bakugo glanced up at him, examining him quietly before going back to his notes. Almost immediately after he looked back down at his notes, Izuku looked up at him.

"Kaachan?" Bakugo glanced up at him but didn't say a word. "Studying is much better with you here."

They stared at each other for a moment before Izuku turned back to his notebooks and began writing more notes down. He could feel his face heating up; Kaachan had not looked away yet and it felt like he was burning holes into the side of Izuku's face. Why did he have to go and say something so embarrassing? Why couldn't he have just let it go? He was just so comfortable he had wanted Kaachan to know…but maybe that was too forward. If he wasn't careful Kaachan might figure out that he's been struggling with all these thoughts about being close and…and…having those dreams.

"You're such a nerd, Midoriya." Bakugo noted casually, looking back down at his notes and highlighting something.

Izuku felt his eyes get wide, his hand losing the ability to write. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears and he could feel his face getting even hotter than it was before. It took him a second to realize his chest was tight because all the air in his lungs had escaped him. He slowly inhaled, refusing to look away from his notebook. It felt like time had stopped.

He glanced over at his classmate. Bakugo was still focused on his own notebook, eyes following the words he had previously written on the pages. He didn't look any different from normal. He was still as focused on his work as always, unconcerned about the world around him.

So why was Izuku feeling this way? Why was his heart pounding against his chest so erratically? Why did hearing Kaachan say his name put his stomach into his throat and light his cheeks on fire? How was he supposed to focus on studying now?

He sighed, folded his arms on his desk, and laid his head down while biting his lip in frustration. This was unfair. Classmates should be able to say each other's names. Childhood friends or rivals or whatever they are should be able to say each other's names. Yet every time Kaachan said his name, he couldn't focus anymore. He was acting like an ordinary school girl over absolutely nothing.

"Tch. If you're tired say something." Bakugo growled.

Izuku propped his chin up on his arms and looked out the window in front of him. He knew if he looked at Bakugo now, he would know something was up.

"Sorry. It just hit me." He mumbled, finally glancing towards the other boy.

Bakugo was already looking at him and their eyes met for few seconds before Bakugo closed his notebook and scooted to the edge of the bed. He shoved his pencil and highlighter back into his pocket, laid the notebook down and stretched his arms above his head before stretching his neck to each side.

"It's getting late." He muttered, grabbing his notebook and walking to the door.

Izuku watched him, turning so Bakugo wouldn't leave his field of vision. Bakugo paused when he made it to the door but then continued out without saying anything. As the door shut behind him, Izuku leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands.

What in the world is going on between the two of them?

* * *

The next morning, Izuku jumped awake and sat up in a panic. He took a few deep breaths and grabbed at his shirt as if he pulled hard enough it would feel easier to breathe. He laid back down, putting an arm over his eyes.

"I can't take this anymore." He groaned.

He closed his eyes and lowered his arm to rub at his lip with his thumb. He hadn't had a dream about Kaachan since the night after he first said his name. This one was more or less the same; it started out with them training together. This time they were in the training room, sparring, when Kaachan tripped him. He had grabbed Kaachan by his shirt to drag him down too, but he wasn't able to catch himself like he planned. He landed hard on his back, Kaachan landing over top of him with hands on each side of Izuku's face. Then he repeated what he said during their studying the night before:

" _You're such a nerd, Midoriya."_

Then, unlike the previous dream, Izuku was the one that grabbed Kaachan by the collar and slammed their lips together as if he couldn't breathe without him.

And Kaachan hadn't even hesitated to kiss him back.

Izuku groaned again and rolled over to look at his clock. It was only eight in the morning on a Saturday. No one else would be up yet most likely. He sighed and sat back up. Maybe a run would clear his head.

As he made it down to the track, however, he realized someone else was already using it. He watched them switch between sprinting and jogging, with no particular pattern, as he got closer. It wasn't until he was warming up and the person got closer that he realized it was Bakugo. He swallowed hard and exhaled.

This wasn't going to ruin his run. If he just ignored him, it would be fine. They sat in silence for over an hour last night.

He nodded to himself as he started jogging across the track. A smile crept across his face as he finished his first lap; when he first got his quirk he would be winded by a simple jog of that distance. Now he had gained some endurance and was able to control his breathing so much better. It was refreshing to see his own progress.

He listened to his feet hit the ground rhythmically as he set his running pace. It was almost hypnotizing to hear everything so calmly fitting together. Breathe, step, step, step, breathe, step, step, step, breathe. Strength may be his quirk but running was when he was most calm.

Behind him he heard Bakugo's feet hitting the ground, catching up to him. He had avoided running beside him through the first lap, but it seems with Bakugo's sprinting he wasn't going to outrun him forever. It wasn't much longer before Bakugo was running in stride with Izuku. Neither boy said anything as their paces synchronized effortlessly.

Bakugo didn't start sprinting again.

Izuku glanced over towards him. Bakugo was looking forward, sweat running down his face and drenching his shirt. His breathing was labored, but his face didn't show any signs of struggle. Izuku looked back forward, his face feeling hot.

This was no time to get distracted by how Kaachan looked.

He shouldn't even be getting distracted by how Kaachan looked. The whole reason for coming down here was to get his mind off things.

As they rounded to finish the lap, Bakugo slowed down, leaving Izuku by himself. Izuku glanced to his side but refused to look back at him. He kept his face forward. He needed to make six laps to make this worth getting out of bed for. As he rounded the corner on the other side of the track, he saw Bakugo sitting on the grass, legs crossed and drinking from a water bottle.

He wondered how long Bakugo had been here to be sweating like that. Normally Izuku only runs six to ten laps on his morning runs, never enough to break a sweat but enough to get his muscles awake. It always helped him train later in the day if he warmed up his muscles with a morning run. The extra shower during the day wasn't the best because it took up some extra time, but he was always more limber when he trained against the dummies in the training hall.

Bakugo stayed seated where he was until Izuku finished his laps and sat down beside him, drinking some of his own water.

"Only eight laps, deku?" He snorted.

Izuku glanced over at him as he lowered his water bottle. "How many did you do?"

"Sixteen." Izuku nodded and silence fell over the two.

Izuku rested an arm on his knee and then propped his head up with his hand. He had done well to not think about Kaachan while he ran, but now that they were sitting next to each other he was failing miserably. It was weird, he felt so at ease sitting with Kaachan. They didn't normally interact like this. It was just passing comments in class or in the dorms. Maybe Izuku was just nervous he would say something and things would go back to the way they were years ago? That would make sense.

He sighed and laid back, watching some clouds floating by above them. This all felt so natural, being with Kaachan. It was like they never stopped being friends, it was like Kaachan had never been ten steps ahead of him and Izuku was staring at his back like he always believed he was. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. Maybe this is what it was like to be friends with Kaachan. It was nice. No wonder Kirishima was always following him around.

Bakugo stretched his arms and stood up. He gathered his things before kicking Izuku's leg lightly.

"Oi, Deku."

Izuku looked over to him to acknowledge him, but Bakugo wasn't facing him. "Hm?"

"I'll be here tomorrow morning at seven thirty."

Izuku blinked as he processed what he was being told. What did it matter if Kaachan was here tomorrow morning? Why did he want to tell him? He could feel his brows furrow as he sat there confused.

"Do…do you want me to meet you here, Kaachan?"

Bakugo stood in the same place, not making a move to answer him or turn to face him. Izuku tried to study what he could see of his face, but it wasn't working. He normally struggled to read Kaachan's expressions anyways.

Finally, Bakugo grunted before starting to walk off.

Izuku stared after him, eyebrows raised in utter confusion. What did that mean? Was that a yes? Was it a no? Why couldn't he just speak like a normal person? Izuku groaned and laid back onto the grass. He could just try to show up tomorrow morning and see what he meant. It's probably the only way he was going to start figuring out what was going on inside Kaachan's head.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Why was becoming Kaachan's friend so much harder than being yelled at by him? There were just too many uncertainties. Granted, it didn't help that Izuku's mind was betraying him. He really did just want to be his friend, so why…why can't he stop thinking about Kaachan saying his name?

Why is he dreaming about kissing him?

" _Take my hand, Midoriya!"_

" _Damn Midoriya…"_

" _You're such a nerd, Midoriya."_

He sighed and grabbed at his shirt in an attempt to quell his erratic heart. This entire experience was going to be the death of him if he didn't get it figured out soon. He knew this. But for some reason….

He rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb.

For some reason, he really just wanted to know what it felt like to kiss Kaachan now.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Finally, chapter three! I actually really enjoyed writing this one, but it wasn't my usual style because I wanted to take them outside the bedroom. So I hope you guys still enjoy it! I really enjoy hearing your feedback, too :)

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Izuku wheezed as he fell back onto the grass, emptying a water bottle across his face. The sun had just finished coming up over the horizon, yet he was already so exhausted. He kept his arms wide as he stared up at the clear blue sky while still trying to catch his breath. No wonder Kaachan had been sweating so hard the day before. By the time he got out to the track, Kaachan was just doing his cool down. He took in a deep breath before finally sitting up.

"How often do you do this?" He huffed, looking up at the blonde while wiping the mixture of sweat and water from his upper lip.

Bakugo shrugged, sitting down beside him. "Few times a week."

Izuku exhaled roughly and shook his head. No wonder Kaachan was so muscular and lean. Izuku knew that he was fit too, but a lot of it was thanks to his quirk. He was still trying to catch up to his classmates who spent their entire childhood working out and getting used to their quirk. He did really good, he couldn't lie, but he always felt a few steps behind. Kaachan's training regimen was all the proof he needed for that.

"Maybe I should start training with you. I haven't worked myself that hard in a while."

A grunt came from the blonde. He was casually drinking from his water while looking over the running track. Izuku mused that it looked like he was deep in thought since he was so much calmer than normal.

He also thought about how he's looked calm the last few times they'd been around each other.

He cleared his throat and looked away from the other boy. Now was not the time for this. They spent an hour and a half training and not once did he think like this, but now that he was idly sitting here apparently his mind wanted to wander about their relationship. He could feel his face heating up. His body was betraying him as much as his mind, it seems.

There was shuffling beside him. "Do what ya want, loser." Izuku looked over at Bakugo. The blonde was standing and stretching out his arms. "Tuesdays, Thursdays at four; Sundays at seven thirty."

Izuku nodded as the other boy walked away from him. He sighed when the other boy was no longer within eyesight. He laid back down on the grass and watched the empty sky above him. Would it be weird to just show up and train with Kaachan? Surely he wouldn't offer the days and times he's normally out here if he didn't want him to come.

He frowned.

Why was he here yesterday morning if he only does this three days a week? Did it mean something? Usually Kaachan followed a schedule that he rarely strayed from. He did idolize him a lot when they were younger, so it was something he picked up on easily. Most people wouldn't guess it but the explosive teen was actually diligent on his training and studying. He would often bow out of doing things with other people to make sure he finished his studies first. It was usually why Kirishima had to drag him places. It was probably also the reason Izuku had caught Bakugo tutoring Kirishima in random places occasionally.

A smile crept onto his lips. The first time he saw them studying together he thought Bakugo was going to strangle the red head. He was walking towards the kitchen and caught them sitting on the common room sofas. Bakugo was basically growling at Kirishima as he smacked him with a rolled-up paper repeatedly. Kirishima was begging for forgiveness and saying he would study harder next time. It had been quite the sight, causing him to stop dead and ask if everything was okay. Bakugo had immediately sat back in his seat, muttering something along the lines of "mind your own fucking business, Deku" while Kirishima laughed nervously and said everything was fine.

It was a totally different style of studying than what he had experienced with Kaachan. Yeah, it had only happened twice, but they didn't really interact. They just existed with each other. It was nice. He couldn't deny he wanted to know Kaachan in the way Kirishima did, though. Comfortable silence was nice, but so was the camaraderie those two shared. Kaachan was still explosive at times and Kirishima knew it was okay to laugh. Izuku felt that if he ever laughed at a fuming Kaachan, he'd end up with a black eye and they'd start from scratch with their relationship.

Maybe that was why their relationship was so silent.

Maybe Kaachan was just as worried things would go back to the way they were?

He shook his head. There had to be another reason. Kaachan probably just wasn't comfortable with being near him but knew that since graduation was coming up soon, they'd have to work together eventually so they would have to be friendly enough with each other. Maybe this was his way of training his social skills.

Izuku stretched before grabbing his water bottle and making his way to the showers. He'd have to shower before he went out to the mall today with Uraraka and the others, and there was no reason worrying about things he couldn't understand with Kaachan when he should be out having fun.

* * *

One minute, Izuku was walking into the café to see Uraraka yelling his name and waving him over to the table where everyone was seated. The next he was being shoved into a changing room for laser tag.

Well, that wasn't exactly how it happened, but that's what it felt like.

He sighed as he tightened the straps to his torso, making sure all the targets were facing outwards. He didn't know this is what they had planned. The girls in his class were super unpredictable, even years later. But the fact that only Uraraka, Ashido, and Hagakure planned the outing should've been enough for him to know something like this was going to happen.

What really surprised him is the fact that so many of his classmates had agreed to come. Even Todoroki and Tokoyami showed up, the two that were least likely to come to a class outing. It was weird Kirishima hadn't shown up for something like this though, he was normally first in line for having fun on the weekends.

He shook his head and walked out to the prep area, where his classmates who were on his team were already waiting. On his team was Kaminari, Uraraka, and...

"Uraraka, I thought you said it would be three teams of four?" He motioned to the three of them standing there. "Actually, now that I think about it, there was only nine of us when we got here."

Uraraka grinned. "Kirishima called! He said he was actually gonna be here but was just running late! He brought some others. We're waiting for one of them to join us."

It wasn't long before their fourth teammate, Sero, came out of the changing room and the countdown started on the large screen for them to rush into the arena. As it hit zero they all took off. Izuku was the first out of the gate and didn't get a chance to see if anyone followed him before ducking around a corner. He froze when his eyes met a pair of crimson eyes staring back at him.

"Fucking Deku!" Bakugo roared, aiming the laser gun towards him. "Die!"

His harness sounded off and lit up multiple colors, signaling his death, but he stayed frozen for a second too long to stare at the blonde before turning and running in the opposite direction. What was Kaachan doing here? He didn't do class outings. This didn't make sense.

"I'll kill all of you!" Bakugo's voice rang out.

Still as hot headed as ever, though.

Izuku rounded a corner and caught sight of Ashido. He raised the gun and fired, ducking behind a pillar as her harness lit up. She cried out, asking who shot her before pouting and slinking off. Now wasn't the time to worry about why Kaachan was here. He needed to focus on having fun.

He ran up an incline to the upper level. Kirishima was laughing as he shot down Kaminari, calling him a loser. Izuku ran towards them and aimed at the red head. He pulled the trigger.

Miss.

He fired again.

Kirishima's harness lit up.

"Aww, man!" He turned towards Izuku, grinning. "You got me!"

Then Kirishima took off through an adjacent door before he respawned. Izuku could hear Bakugo yelling somewhere on the lower level about someone dying at his hands. Ashido was shouting about Hagakure cheating because she was invisible. He took a deep breath before advancing back down the incline. As he rounded the corner at the bottom, he ran straight into Uraraka, knocking them both to the ground.

His vest lit up.

"Ah! Sorry Deku!" She shouted as she stood and took off to avoid whoever shot him.

Bakugo's laughter filled the area around him. "Stupid Deku! Pay attention!"

"I didn't take you for someone to shoot someone when they're down, Kaachan."

"What was that, asshole?!"

Izuku stuck his tongue and took off. His cheeks felt like they were on fire but the grin on his face was so big that his cheeks were already starting to ache. Yeah, he just put a big target on his back, but he saw it when Kaachan processed what he said. It was small, but it was there.

Even if his voice was angry and his eyes flaring in determination, Kaachan couldn't hide the smile that tugged at his lips at the declaration of war Izuku all but threw at him.

The rest of the game went by in a blur. Izuku spent the entire game dodging Bakugo and taking out as many people as he could. He rarely saw Sero or Kaminari the entire game, but he did almost run into Uraraka again a few times. The few times he came across Bakugo it immediately became a game of chase to see if Izuku could get away from him or kill him quick before Bakugo killed him, and usually ended with Bakugo trying to follow him until whichever was taken down to respawn so they could fight "fair and square".

Everyone played another round, not even paying attention to which team won, even though he couldn't remember seeing Tokoyami during any of the previous game. The teams were mixed up, but it played out in more-or-less the same way: Ashido and Hagakure laughing and celebrating loudly every time they took someone down once they teamed up, Kirishima and Kaminari harassing each other while protecting each other, and Bakugo yelling that he would kill everyone while specifically trying to corner Izuku.

When it was agreed there would be a third round, the teams were switched again. Izuku looked over at Bakugo when it was declared they would be on the same team this time, completely unsure if he should be concerned. Bakugo stayed facing forward, but Izuku caught Bakugo glancing sideways towards him. He felt his heart start to pound in his chest and his cheeks turn red. This was going to be interesting, he knew it.

But as the game progressed, he realized he didn't see much of Bakugo. He could still hear him yelling throughout the arena, but he didn't see him.

Maybe because Bakugo just enjoyed the thrill of competing and he couldn't compete against Izuku this time?

As the game was close to finishing, Izuku found himself on the upper level. He was hunkered down near a doorway that led into a small room and aiming for people who came through thinking they could rest from Hagakure's invisibility and Bakugo's wrath. It wasn't fair, but sometimes it's necessary to win…and Kirishima said he wanted to win this round. Apparently, he had been keeping count of who was winning even though Izuku thought no one had been concerned about it and that everyone had been focusing on how many kill-shots they earned.

A shadow began advancing down the hallway and towards Izuku. He repositioned his gun, finger on the trigger. As they entered the room, he fired…but the vest didn't light up.

Bakugo rolled his eyes.

"I'm on your team, dumbass." He muttered as he walked over and dropped down to sit next to Izuku.

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "My bad, Kaachan. I couldn't see you before I shot."

Bakugo grunted and they sat in silence next to each other for a few minutes. Uraraka screamed somewhere on the lower level before laughing. Izuku smiled to himself, keeping an eye on the door. They sat like that until the final alarm rang, signaling the end of the game.

Izuku stretched his arms out as he stood up. He held out his hand to the blonde still sitting on the floor. Bakugo stared at the hand in front of his face for a few seconds. Izuku felt his heart start to beat a little faster.

Had he misjudged how comfortable Kaachan was with him?

But no sooner had the thought run through his head, Bakugo took his hand. He heaved himself up and looked over at Izuku. It felt like it had been minutes to Izuku before Bakugo grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled Izuku's face closer to his.

Izuku swallowed hard. He could feel the blonde's breath just barely on his lips.

"Don't tempt me unless you're serious, Deku." Bakugo spoke lowly, a smirk planted firmly on his face.

Bakugo shoved Izuku backwards into the wall and walked away. Izuku blinked. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest, and he was more than sure his cheeks were as red as Kaachan's eyes. He was so sure…because of his dreams, he had been so sure Kaachan was going to kiss him. He bit his lip and leaned his head against the wall. It sounded like a threat, but the smirk on Kaachan's face told Izuku that the blonde had enjoyed playing cat and mouse with him. Was this Kaachan joking around? Did Kaachan already think Izuku was his friend now? Why did it feel like Kaachan was always five steps ahead of him?

He sighed and started walking towards the exit. It seemed like every time he interacted with Kaachan here recently he ended up with more questions than answers. Somehow, even though he was getting more confused, Kaachan seemed to be getting more confident. He could feel a frown starting to etch itself onto his face.

He wished Kaachan would've said his name that time. He'd only heard it three times, but he was really starting to like the sound of it.

As he came out of the arena, Uraraka was waving him over to the screen.

"Deku! You guys won!" She squealed.

He smiled as he caught sight of Kirishima celebrating with Bakugo, who looked uninterested like always. "Awesome! I was just excited to play, though!"

"Right?! It was so much fun!" Ashido joined. "I'm so glad we got everyone here today!"

The girls started talking about doing something similar again soon as if everyone was already leaving. Izuku was half listening when suddenly his eyes were on Bakugo, who was rolling his eyes at Kirishima.

" _Don't tempt me unless you're serious, Deku."_

Had Kaachan been talking about when Izuku had called him out during the first round of laser tag? He had spent a decent portion of the game avoiding Kaachan after that. So maybe he was upset about that? That would make sense…but how he said it….

" _Don't tempt me unless you're serious."_

How he said it was almost like it was a challenge.

Izuku pressed his lips together. Bakugo glanced towards him and they locked eyes for a moment before Bakugo turned his focus back to Kirishima. It was only for a second, but Izuku could feel his face get hot.

What in the world could Kaachan be challenging him about?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The room was quiet. Izuku had stopped writing minutes ago when he asked Bakugo a question about their English work but didn't get a response. He had started asking again when he looked up and saw the blonde fast asleep on the bed. At some point during their studying, he had laid down. His notebook was still propped up in his hand, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady.

Izuku was captivated by it.

Originally, he hadn't given much thought to what the other boy had been wearing. But something about watching him sleep changed that. Kaachan was in a black t-shirt with some skull art on the front, and a regular pair of black basketball shorts. It should've looked sloppy and it most certainly shouldn't have looked as good as it did. The t-shirt was loose fitting but hugged his biceps just enough to remind the green haired boy of how fit Kaachan was. The shorts weren't anything special, but it paired well over all. Izuku was certain at this point that Kaachan just naturally looked good in anything he wore.

It had been a few weeks since they officially started studying together. At first, Bakugo only showed up on the weekends, but after the laser tag incident he started showing up during the week too. It was always around ten o'clock that he showed up. They'd study for an hour or two, and then he'd get up and leave. For the most part, they hadn't spoken much. It was mostly questions about whatever they were studying. Sometimes Izuku would get a wild hair and try to bring up something from class. That usually earned him a raised eyebrow, a nod, or a dismissive hum from the blonde. Bakugo never started any conversations while they studied unless it was related to the material.

About two weeks had passed since they had started training together, as well. They would spend two hours completing running drills, sparring, and having mini competitions at the race track on their designated training days together. Then they'd rest for about fifteen minutes before going their separate ways, only to meet up again in the bathroom to shower. Then they'd see each other again in class.

Honestly, though…they rarely talked to each other outside of studying or training.

However, they went from spending zero time together to seeing each other no less than ten hours a week within two weeks after Bakugo yelled his name during training a little more than a month ago. Izuku was still struggling to come to terms with it, it still didn't seem real to spend that much time with his childhood friend with both of them being willing.

Izuku could feel himself smiling as he watched Kaachan roll onto his back, dropping his notebook completely. It was still weird. But he was comfortable with it now.

After laser tag, he had really overthought a few things. What had Kaachan been talking about? How was he tempting him? It had felt related to the game initially, but after they locked eyes outside the arena he started to believe it meant something different. Kaachan just had this…air about him. So, he had tried to bring it up to Kaachan multiple times, but he was normally waved off. He got excuses such as "whatever", "focus on what you're doing" and, his personal favorite, "you're an idiot". Ultimately, he decided it had been about taunting Kaachan about not playing fair during the game and then tucking tail and running almost every time he saw him after that.

Some part of him though…some part of him still wanted to believe otherwise.

A blush rose across his face, his stomach rising in his throat, as he continued to stare at the blonde. The dreams had decided to stay, unfortunately. They weren't consistent, but they happened more than they should.

And staring at Kaachan right now really made him wonder….

He stood and slowly walked to the bed. He didn't sit on the bed, he didn't lean over the edge. He just stood there. Listening to Bakugo breathe. It was so soothing. He was probably really comfortable to curl up with, too.

He bit his lip.

He shouldn't be thinking like this. He had to be a good friend. The type of person Kaachan was treating him as. Not a creep who watched people while they slept.

He leaned over and tapped Bakugo on the shoulder. Bakugo's eyes squeezed together before opening. Izuku smiled and stood up straight, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's almost midnight, Kaachan."

Crimson eyes stared at him, as if processing what was going on, before Bakugo sighed and sat up. He surveyed the room once he was sitting. He was quiet. Izuku cocked his head to the side, curious.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

Bakugo looked back up at him, his expression unreadable. "Yeah."

Silence.

No movement.

Izuku raised a brow at him. "Are you sure?"

"Quit asking." There was the normal Kaachan.

"Well you're being extra quiet."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Silence.

Still no effort from him to move.

Izuku sighed and sat down next to him. He still had rights to his own bed, whether Kaachan wanted to move or not. He had been really nice to not kick him out during their studying sessions before tonight. They had been following Kaachan's schedule, and Izuku wouldn't quit studying until Kaachan decided to leave. It's not his fault that Kaachan fell asleep this time and needed to be woken up.

He glanced sideways at Bakugo. He was still sitting there, seeming to take in the situation for himself. Izuku couldn't help but wonder if he was always this slow to wake up. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he laid back and looked to the ceiling above his bed.

Leave it to Kaachan to have a surprising issue like this.

The bed shifted as Kaachan moved. However, he did not get up. He had laid back, matching Izuku's pose. Both boys had their legs hanging off the bed, laying down, staring at the ceiling. Izuku could feel the confusion being written all over his face. He turned his head to see if maybe Bakugo was giving any indication of what was going on.

But he wasn't.

He was just laying there, staring at the ceiling. Eyes half-open, mouth parted slightly. Izuku swallowed hard, feeling the warmth that normally only spread to his cheeks pool in his lower abdomen.

This was new. Dear God, his body really was betraying him. He was almost scared to move, scared that the moment would end and Kaachan would get up and leave…but was just as anxious that his issue would be obvious if Kaachan sat up unexpectedly. He could put his feet up on the edge of the bed so that his shorts would get a little baggier.

Moving wasn't an option at the moment, though.

Kaachan was handsome. Izuku knew this. But seeing him when he wasn't fighting his pride to be number one just highlighted that. A relaxed Kaachan was absolutely striking. The hard lines of his jaw softened slightly when his teeth weren't clenched, but Izuku was mostly absorbed in how his eyes were just gazing forward. Nothing seemed to be on his mind, and it was captivating.

Izuku felt a breath escape his lips, his arm closest to his friend reaching in the other boy's direction. Just…how warm _was_ Kaachan? When he wasn't raging, was he as comforting to touch as the Kaachan in his dreams?

Izuku's fingertips brushed against Bakugo's hand. It was the slightest touch, but it sent shocks through his entire body. His eyes went wide and he immediately sat up.

Oh no.

Oh no.

Oh no.

Kaachan was sure to blow up on him over this. He absolutely hated people touching him. It was just a well-known fact. Only Kirishima had the audacity and ability to clap him on the back or sling an arm over his shoulder. Everyone else got an earful, and a complimentary explosion, if they tried. Honestly, Kirishima did too a good portion of the time. But between his laughter and his quirk, Bakugo had started to put less effort into it.

When Izuku finally got the courage to glance at Bakugo, though, he was still laying the same exact way. There wasn't a hint of anger or even acknowledgement at the touch. Relief washed over him.

Maybe Kaachan was too tired to fight about it, or maybe he didn't even feel it.

Bakugo sighed and sat up, stretching out his arms. He grabbed his notebook and started for the door. Izuku smiled softly. Bakugo never liked to say anything when he left and it was usually a slow process. It was almost like he didn't want to acknowledge that leaving was necessary.

Izuku was very aware that wasn't the reason. But it was a nice thought.

"Good night, Kaachan." His words were so quiet, it surprised him. "I hope you sleep well."

He looked to the ground in front of him. The fact he even said it surprised him, too. They rarely exchanged words when Bakugo left, and they sure as hell didn't wish each other good night. Izuku frowned to himself at this realization. They should though. That's what friends do.

So why did this feel so…intimidating?

"Good night, Midoriya."

Izuku's eyes shot back up to Bakugo's head. He was still facing away from him, but he hadn't turned the handle yet. It was almost like they were both frozen.

Izuku could feel his chest aching. He had to force himself to breathe. Why did this hurt so much? And why did the throbbing make him so happy? It just didn't make any sense.

Bakugo left without another word.

That night Izuku dreamt of Kaachan again. This time, however, it was different. It wasn't hungry. It wasn't fueled by anger or lust. He couldn't pinpoint what, exactly, made it different.

But his chest ached the entire time.

* * *

Green eyes glared at the paper laying on the desk. Izuku had made Kaachan mad but he still wasn't sure what he did wrong. After lunch, he had gone up to Kaachan on their way back to the classroom and asked if he could come to his dorm tonight because his room had been glitter bombed by Ashido and Hagakure that morning "in the name of fun". Instead of his normal responses such as "yes", "no", a nod, a raised eyebrow, a "tch", an eyeroll, something…he completely lost his mind.

" _Shut the fuck up, Deku!" He screamed._

 _Izuku's face scrunched up at the harshness, completely unused to it. Kirishima's hand flew to his mouth as it fell open. Both his eyebrows were raised as he watched the scene unfold._

" _Well we can't study in my room tonight." Izuku grumbled._

 _Kirishima snorted into his hand before lowering it and grinning at his classmates._

 _Bakugo's eyes ignited in rage. "What the fuck did I just say, you absolute dumbass?! Shut the fuck up! And YOU, shitty hair, mind your own fucking business!"_

" _But Kaachan–"_

" _Get LOST, Deku!"_

Izuku chewed on his lip. He had mentioned their plans before while at school and Kaachan hadn't been mad then. He had asked to change plans before and Kaachan hadn't gotten mad at that either. What in the world would make him so angry? What was different?

He could feel his face fall flat.

Kirishima had been there.

Bakugo hadn't been telling anyone they were hanging out together. Granted, he hadn't told anyone either. But he didn't think it was a big deal. It was just something that hadn't needed to be brought up yet. He didn't hang out with Uraraka, Iida, or Todoroki after eight or nine on weekdays, and they all usually went to visit family for the weekends. There hadn't been any scheduling conflicts with them yet, so it just hadn't come up.

But Kaachan was hiding it. The studying, the training. He was hiding it.

Was he ashamed to be hanging out with him? After all the time they had spent together and getting comfortable with each other, did it not mean anything?

He stared at the back of Bakugo's head, willing an answer to magically appear if he stared hard enough.

He stayed like that longer than he cared to admit.

As class continued, Aizawa gave Hagakure a stack of papers and told her to pass it back. When it made it to Izuku, a small paper that was folded fell onto his desk. He raised a brow at it before passing the stack back to Mineta. He unfolded it, then sighed as he read it.

 _My room. 10. Don't be late._

* * *

Izuku took a deep breath before knocking on the door of Bakugo's room. A few seconds passed and he raised his hand to knock again when the door swung open and he was pulled into the room by the front of his shirt. The door shut behind him, his back was forced up against it. Bakugo had a forearm at the base of Izuku's neck and their chests pressed together.

Izuku could feel his cheeks burning about the contact.

"Kaachan, what—"

"When I tell you to shut up," Bakugo growled, "I need you to shut up."

Izuku frowned, his eyes meeting the red ones already staring straight at him. "Why did I need to shut up?"

Bakugo pushed up against him even more. "That's not important."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

Izuku felt himself growl. "Why?"

The blonde pulled back, scowling at Izuku before turning and walking to his bed. He stayed silent as he gathered his books and laid them on the desk and sitting in his chair. Izuku raised a brow as he took a few steps forward.

"Kaachan," He started, sitting on the bed. "Do you even want to study with me?"

Bakugo faced Izuku, brows knitted together in frustration. He folded his arms over his chest and grumbled to himself. Izuku was sure he heard "shitty hair" and something about "problems".

He knew it. It was about Kirishima knowing.

"If you don't want to study with me, you don't have to. What's the point of being around someone so much if you don't want to? If it's such a problem, then—"

"Holy shit. Do you even listen to yourself?"

Izuku froze. "What?"

"Do you ever listen to yourself? When you talk?"

A few seconds passed as Izuku studied Bakugo's face, wondering what he was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"Why would I drag my ass to your dorm multiple nights a week if I didn't want to fucking be there?"

Izuku raised a brow at him. "Then why would you be mad about Kirishima knowing we study together?"

Bakugo groaned, cussing under his breath, and leaned back farther into his chair. If Izuku didn't know better, he'd say there was a dusting of pink across his cheeks. He wanted it to be from embarrassment.

But he knew better.

He was probably just that angry.

"Look." Bakugo paused, then frowned. "This is stupid."

"I'm not gonna be quiet about it. We're friends, Kaachan. Right? So why can't he know?"

The room suddenly felt…charged. Izuku felt a chill go up his spine as Bakugo's eyes met his. Both boy's faces were sheer determination, though Izuku was hoping that his concern for the situation was evident. Bakugo huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Damn shitty hair." He grumbled. "He fucking blows shit out of proportion. If he didn't know, I wouldn't have to listen to him."

Izuku made a face and before he could stop himself, he busted out laughing. Of course, Kaachan made it about being antisocial while it was about his friends. Only he could do something like that.

He stopped laughing when he noticed Bakugo had a raised brow at him.

"Okay." He wiped at his eye, grinning from ear to ear. "From now on, I'll shut up if you tell me to."

Bakugo grunted and turned to his schoolwork. Izuku shook his head and scooted back towards the wall. Now they could breathe and get back into their routine, even if it was in the wrong room.

He took in a deep breath. Kaachan's room smelt different. It was the same scent that reminded him of being in the woods near a campfire that Bakugo had left on his pillow. It was such a calming scent. He wondered if Bakugo used the scent because it was so calming, or if this was just the type of thing he liked.

He glanced up at Bakugo, who was highlighting something. There was so much that he wanted to know about him. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Hey, Kaachan?"

Bakugo didn't look up. "What?"

"We are friends, right?"

The blonde sighed, drawing what Izuku assumed was a star next to something on his paper. He stayed silent for a moment as he continued to work on his paper. Izuku stared at him, not backing down. Bakugo glanced towards him briefly before looking back down at his paper.

"We're whatever you want us to be."

Izuku frowned. "Do you want us to be friends?"

Silence.

Bakugo was good at staying silent. This was actually the most they'd talked in a non-study and non-training related conversation, though. Izuku sighed, as well.

Baby steps, he had to remind himself. Baby steps. He couldn't force Kaachan to change overnight. The studying and the training was a change that even he hadn't been ready for yet, so Kaachan was probably struggling to keep up with all the interactions…even if it did seem like he was five steps ahead.

This was more than enough for right now. They were friends.

Because Kaachan said they were if Izuku wanted them to be.

"Never mind." He smiled at Bakugo, hoping he would take the out that he gave him.

Bakugo nodded.

"I like studying in your room though," he mused, earning a glance from the blonde. "Maybe I could study in here a few nights instead of always coming to my room?"

"Sure."

Izuku leaned back against the wall, still smiling.

That was the first time Kaachan agreed to something instead of just telling Izuku to do what he wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I really wanted to get a fifth chapter out before my birthday this week for you guys, and somehow, I made it work! :) Let me know what ya think! And have a happy Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas!

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Bakugo's foot slammed into Izuku's forearm, forcing him back. Izuku grabbed at his ankle and pulled him off balance to drag him to the ground. Bakugo swung his other foot around, making contact with Izuku's shoulder. Both boys landed off-kilter. They took a few shaky breaths, Izuku wiping the sweat from his upper lip with the back of his hand. Bakugo got back into stance. Izuku exhaled, taking his stance again as well.

"Hey, Kaachan." He started, a grin stretching across his face. "Loser buys lunch?"

Bakugo smirked, taking off towards Izuku. He swung wide to hit the green haired boy, who raised his arm to block. Izuku rotated his entire body, connecting his leg to Bakugo's side. Bakugo grabbed his leg and swung him around. He let go and Izuku flew backwards. Izuku shifted to land on his feet and slid backwards, bracing himself.

"I'll definitely kick your ass!" Bakugo roared with a grin, initiating another attack.

Izuku dodged sideways and took off running. Bakugo used the weight forcing him forward to pivot and dart towards Izuku. Izuku turned on his heel, slamming into the blonde and tackling him to the ground. He grinned triumphantly as he pinned Bakugo to the ground by his shoulders, straddling his waist. Bakugo's face contorted in anger as he shifted under Izuku.

"I win, Kaachan!" Izuku beamed.

Bakugo scowled. "Like fuck you did."

He bucked his hips, flipping Izuku over his head. He flipped with him, landing on Izuku's thighs and grabbing his wrists, then twisting his arms behind his head to pin them to the ground. Izuku's eyes were wide as he struggled to move out from under the blonde. He attempted to buck his hips like Bakugo had, but the weight Bakugo exerted on his thighs kept him from getting the range of motion or power he needed to knock him off. He frowned up at the blonde.

"That's cheating."

Bakugo's smile was smug as he leaned down close to Izuku's face. His breath swirled across Izuku's lips, almost mocking him. Izuku froze as his green eyes met crimson, his own breath hitched in his throat.

Kaachan was so close.

"Winning is winning." Bakugo taunted. "And I win."

He stood, releasing Izuku, and offered his hand out to help him up. Izuku sighed as he took the outstretched hand, pulling himself up. He stretched his arms to relieve the tightness in his muscles from being twisted and turned towards the blonde. Both of them were sweating, Izuku was panting slightly. He unintentionally found himself focusing in on the sight of Bakugo's collarbone, which was covered in sweat and glistening in the sunlight that was just peaking over the horizon. He swallowed hard and looked away. He really did find Kaachan too attractive sometimes.

"You better have the money to back up that bet, loser."

He looked back to Bakugo, who was raising a brow at him.

Kaachan probably assumed he was being a sore loser.

Izuku smiled and nodded. "Lunch is on me."

"Good. Let's go run."

Izuku nodded again and they started walking over towards the starting line of the track. It was the same process as always. Spar for an hour, then running drills for an hour. The only difference between today and any other Sunday was the fact they would be having lunch together today.

Izuku had thought long and hard the past few days after studying in Kaachan's room on how to get closer to him. Kaachan was almost like a wild animal when it came to communicating with him on a personal level. Any sudden movements and he could get defensive and attack. It hadn't taken him long to figure out the best way to go about it was to make it into a competition. In the heat of the moment, Kaachan wouldn't turn down a bet on a fight. So, that was the direction he went. He had debated on betting whose room they would study in, but he wanted to have an excuse to talk to him. They didn't talk much while they studied, so it would've been pointless to do that. And doing lunch on a Sunday was easier since they were already together in the morning.

The only issue was that he just had to implement it at just the right time, when Kaachan was in the heat of the moment. It had worked out better than he thought. He figured there would still be some resistance at the idea.

He huffed as he finished his fifth lap, staying in stride with the blonde beside him. He really felt like a creep by planning all this. It's just…if he didn't make any effort to get to know Kaachan, would their friendship ever move forward? Or would they just study and train together? Quietly? That wasn't the friendship he wanted.

It wasn't exactly friendship that he wanted, either.

Heat rushed to his cheeks at the thought. It had occurred to him before that he was no longer interested in just friendship with Kaachan. The dreams he had was all the proof he needed of that, stealing glances at the blonde constantly didn't help either. But the idea itself still took him off guard every time it presented itself to him.

And it's not that being friends with Kaachan was _bad_ , it just...he just...

His chest ached as he glanced to the boy running steadily next to him. He wanted to do more than sit in silence next to him. He wanted to joke with him and enjoy meals with him. He wanted to run his fingers through his hair, to study those crimson eyes, to lean in and gently press their lips together. He wanted to feel Kaachan's skin under his fingertips as he traced the outlines of his muscles.

The feeling of Bakugo's shoulder brought him from his thoughts. He knew his cheeks were as red as Kaachan's eyes because it felt like they were on fire. He immediately went back into his running lane, refusing to look at the blonde or acknowledge he just bumped into him because he was too busy thinking about…that instead of their running drills.

And Bakugo was silent.

They finished their last lap not long after and parted ways without a word. Izuku was too embarrassed to start any conversation, and Bakugo almost never said anything unless Izuku said something first.

By the time he got his stuff ready for a shower, Bakugo was already walking out of the communal bathroom. When he made it back to his dorm, Bakugo was leaned against the wall next to his door, staring at the floor. He was wearing jeans and a plain t-shirt that fit exactly like his skull t-shirt had the other night.

Izuku swallowed hard.

He wasn't sure if he was ready for the mess he got himself into.

* * *

The restaurant itself was lively, but the small table Izuku sat at with Bakugo was quiet. Izuku hadn't been sure what to talk about, and Bakugo was focused on eating his third helping.

Izuku could feel stress gnawing away at his stomach. He finally got to be with Kaachan one-on-one outside of studying or training, but he couldn't find any words that would seem…normal. Of course, this would be the drawback to his plan. He hadn't taken into account he didn't know what type of conversation to start with Kaachan. So, instead, he watched the blonde eat.

Bakugo finished his plate, then raised his brows at Izuku. "What's the point of betting lunch if you don't eat?"

Izuku looked down at his plate, which was barely touched. He hadn't even been able to focus on eating. He chuckled nervously.

"My, uh...my stomach just...kind of feels upset."

Crimson eyes stared at him, studying his face. Izuku could feel his breath get caught in his throat and his chest constrict. He looked down at his plate and started moving some of the food around.

"Whatever." Bakugo mumbled, taking a swig of his drink.

Izuku glanced back up at him. "Ne, Kaachan?"

"What?"

"How will we know whose room to study in each night if you've always just come over whichever nights you wanted to study?"

"Idiot." Bakugo grumbled.

Izuku furrowed his brows. That was actually a good question. Kaachan had agreed that they could study in his room, too, but they hadn't made any plans for it. Normally Kaachan just came over on any given night. But what if Izuku wanted to study in Kaachan's room that night? They may as well just make a schedule so they wouldn't miss each other by going to the other's room. That was the logical thing to do.

Right?

"It's not stupid."

"Whatever." Bakugo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "My room Monday, Wednesday, Sunday."

Sunday? Izuku stared at the blonde in front of him, biting his lip. Today was Sunday. Was Kaachan suggesting they spend the entire day together? It was already almost one in the afternoon. They hadn't even agreed on a place to eat until noon, and they were ready by ten-thirty that morning. So to fill up the time, they had sat in Izuku's room and went over some of their work from class while randomly saying a restaurant name until Izuku's stomach had growled. Kaachan had been pretty annoyed it had taken that long for something to be figured out, so he had just chosen the restaurant and told Izuku to deal with it because he lost the bet.

"That works." He mumbled, looking back down at his food and eating a mouthful.

"Good."

"Does that start tonight?"

When Bakugo didn't respond, Izuku glanced up at him. The blonde had an eyebrow raised as he stared at him. Maybe that was a dumb question. Kaachan normally assumed for things to happen immediately. It had only taken him a few days to originally come back and start studying with Izuku after he made the comment they should study together more often.

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

Bakugo grunted. They finished their time in the restaurant in the silence. The walk back to school grounds was mostly quiet, too. Izuku had made a few offhand comments about their classmates, how they're improving and wondering what they were all doing this weekend since almost everyone was gone this weekend from the dorms. Izuku had mused that everyone always seemed to pick the same weekend a month to go back to their families, since that was probably where they were. Bakugo hadn't responded much, but that was to be expected at this point.

As they approached the dorms, Izuku sighed to himself. He hadn't gotten anywhere with knowing more about Kaachan. The bet had been for nothing. Not to mention that worrying over it the entire day had made him exhausted. He was ready to just lay down in his bed.

When they got on the elevators, Izuku pressed the button to his floor, then the button for Bakugo's for him. Izuku smiled over at Kaachan when they made it to his floor. He mumbled a quiet "later" and stepped off. He could swear he felt Kaachan staring at him as the elevator doors closed.

He got back to his room and took off his jeans, laying down in just his shirt and boxers. His bed felt surprisingly soft as he put his arms around his pillow. As he drifted off, all he could think was that it was as if he hadn't slept in days.

* * *

Izuku stared at his clock. His face was beet red, his heart was racing out of his chest. It was already nine thirty. He needed an excuse to not go to Kaachan's tonight. He couldn't face him. Not after that dream. He couldn't. It just wasn't going to happen.

He laid onto his back and pressed his pillow to his face. He could still feel soft lips trailing down his neck, reaching his chest. He could still feel the warmth of Kaachan's body on top of his as their lips met again. He groaned loudly into his pillow.

He couldn't do this. He absolutely could not do this. How could he face Kaachan after that? How could he, as a good person, have dreams so vivid about kissing Kaachan and being with him and then go hang out with him like nothing was abnormal? How could he do that?

He had become accustomed to seeing Kaachan in his dreams. It was almost always stayed the same. They would train or fight, and then one of them would grab the other and crash their lips together. He would wake up soon after. One time he had a dream where they had been studying and he had just walked over to Kaachan and kissed him. His chest ached the entire time during that dream, because he just wanted to finally feel his lips against Kaachan's.

But even that dream was nothing compared to this.

They had been studying on Kaachan's bed together. At one point, he had sat his material to the side and laid his head on Kaachan's shoulder. Kaachan had casually reached over and tipped Izuku's chin upwards, gently pressing their lips together. Slowly, their lips moved against each other and before he knew it, Kaachan was on top of him and pulling Izuku's shirt upwards. His hands had danced up Izuku's torso as he removed it. Izuku followed suit and pulled Kaachan's shirt over his head, leaving them both shirtless. Kaachan's lips were fire against his skin as they trailed down his neck. His chest ached as he pulled the blonde back to his face and crashed their lips together.

He was glad he had woken up at that point. If anymore had happened, he would've never been able to look at Kaachan the same again. He was already debating if he could physically handle studying with him in the next – he peeked out from under his pillow to glance at his clock – 15 minutes.

This was basically going to be torture. The dream was in Kaachan's room and now he was immediately going to have to go over there and relive it for about an hour until he could say he was heading back to go to bed. Was this because he had been too bold in basically asking Kaachan to lunch earlier?

He huffed and rolled out of bed to get dressed. Part of being a hero is doing things you're not ready to do. So he had to face this and do it, even if he didn't want to.

But by the time he made it to Kaachan's room, the heat in his cheeks hadn't dissipated and he was trying not to shake as he reached up to knock on the door. He only knocked once, his knuckles hit the wood and immediately halted at the contact. Fear ran through him.

He couldn't do this. He just couldn't do this.

Kaachan opened the door a few seconds later. He didn't even acknowledge Izuku. He turned on his heel and walked to his closet and started rummaging around. Izuku exhaled and entered behind him. He shut the door and made his way over to the bed, quickly finding himself situated against the wall like Kaachan always did in his room.

"Don't be too loud," Bakugo stated flatly as he shut the closet door. "Pretty sure Riot is next door listening."

Izuku cocked his head to the side. "Loud? We normally don't say much when we study."

"We're not studying tonight."

Izuku froze, eyes wide.

"What?" He choked on the word as it passed his lips.

Bakugo gave a wicked grin as he threw a game controller at Izuku. "All Might: League of Heroes."

Izuku's jaw dropped as he stared at Bakugo. League of Heroes was a game they played together when they were younger. He didn't even know Kaachan still had it. The theme song started, pulling Izuku from his shock. He grinned as they made their player selections and started the game. They were quiet during most of the game, only making a few snide remarks during it. But Izuku was no longer upset with the silence like he had been at the restaurant. He was no longer concerned about the dream he had prior to coming over.

He was just focused on playing the game, enjoying his time with Kaachan next to him.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Happy Birthday 5seedapple! Thank you for always having kind words! I was glad I was able to get an update out on your birthday after you mentioned it in a previous review. The next chapter will be all kinds of fun that I'm excited to post! I'm having some issues with my wrist, though, so please be patient if I can't update that quickly. But I hope you guys enjoy this update!

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

Izuku laid his head on his desk, sleep clinging to his eyes as his classmates talked amongst themselves before class started. He was beyond exhausted, everything was merely background noise to him today. A yawn escaped his lips before he could cover it. He groaned to himself, nuzzling into his folded arms, and closed his eyes from the lights in the room.

He had stayed up way too late playing video games last night. Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he had stayed up until the early hours of the morning. Even when studying with Kaachan, they were normally in their own dorms not long after midnight. Last night, er…this morning, he hadn't gotten back to his dorm until almost four. He had even skipped his morning run in favor of getting an extra hour of sleep. Even so, getting only a couple hours of sleep was really messing with him.

It had seemed so easy to stay up; it had been so much fun playing that game again. He had been pleasantly surprised when Kaachan hadn't been overly competitive like he normally was. Any time Kaachan lost, he'd frown and mumble that they needed to play another round or, almost playfully, shove Izuku with his elbow, making a snide comment. When Kaachan won, he'd grin haughtily at Izuku and call him a loser. There were not threats of violence or death, or any actual violence. It had been a brand new look at Kaachan that Izuku had enjoyed every single minute of. He had actually wondered if they could have more nights where they just hung out like that again. It had been nice.

A tap on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh lights in the classroom. Uraraka stood over him, smiling at him with her usual brightness.

"Good morning, Deku!"

He smiled up at her, straightening himself up. "Good morning."

"Are you okay?" She cocked her head to the side as she took in the sight of him. "You look like you feel bad."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, yeah. I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Oh?" Kirishima's voice cut in as he seemingly appeared from thin air. "Seems like a few people didn't get much sleep last night." He mused.

Izuku could see Bakugo stiffen the moment the words slipped from Kirishima's mouth from the corner of his eye. The blonde turned in his seat to face the three of them, glaring heavily at Kirishima.

It almost seemed liked Kirishima was…teasing Kaachan?

Izuku shook his head at the thought. That wouldn't make sense. They were talking about not sleeping well last night; there was nothing abnormal about that. And it's very likely he's talking about himself or Kaminari not getting much sleep either. They were both close friends, as well. There's nothing about this conversation that could be worth teasing Kaachan over.

"Really?" Uraraka asked, intrigued. "Did you not sleep well either, Kirishima?"

The red head grinned, faking contemplation. "Not really. One of my neighbors was playing video games all night and I heard it through the wall. It kept me up."

Izuku frowned to himself; they hadn't been that loud last night. He glanced over at Bakugo, who's scowl seemed to be getting worse every time Kirishima talked. If he remembered right, Kaachan did say that Kirishima was probably listening. But had he really stayed up all night just listening to them playing video games? And why was he listening? What was so important about them hanging out? Why was Kirishima so interested in it? Why was Kaachan so angry at him for it?

"Not that I mind," Kirishima continued. "It sounded like they were having a bunch of fun. I wish I had been invited. I do love video games."

"Oh! Maybe—"

"Shut it." Bakugo snapped, giving a pointed look to Izuku as he interrupted him.

Izuku raised a brow at Bakugo before turning back to Kirishima. "Maybe your neighbor should think to invite you next time they play."

Kirishima's grin widened, glancing at Bakugo then back at Izuku. "Nah, I'd hate to impose. They had a guest over last night. It sounds like they're really close."

Heat rushed to Izuku's cheeks, his eyes automatically finding their way to the rigid blonde seated in front of him. Bakugo had a glare set on Kirishima. Izuku was sure that Kaachan didn't even register he was looking towards him with how focused he was…until he glanced at Izuku. Crimson eyes met his briefly, the anger in the blonde's face seeming to falter ever so slightly. Izuku could feel his heart stutter and his lungs struggle for air.

They had sounded close, huh? That was—

"Oh? Whose room is next to yours Kirishima?" Uraraka asked, fully engaged in the gossip.

Kirishima chuckled and Bakugo's anger re-emerged, returning its focus on the red head. Izuku shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Between the mocking tone Kirishima was carrying in his voice and the sly look on his face, plus Kaachan's anger, he wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Uraraka prying into the whole thing made it even more unbearable.

"Hmm," Kirishima tapped his chin thoughtfully, then grinned at her. "Can't expose my buddies like that, sorry!"

"Aww!" Uraraka whined, crossing her arms. "You can't say things like that and then act like it was nothing!"

"My bad." Kirishima shrugged and walked back to his seat.

Uraraka turned to Izuku, eyebrows raised, mouth open to say something when Aizawa entered the classroom, telling everyone to take a seat. Her mouth closed, lips pursed, before she smiled at him and whispered that she'd talk to him later then headed to her seat.

Izuku sighed in relief, turning his attention to their teacher. He wasn't sure what she had been planning to ask him, but with the wrath that was radiating off of Kaachan, he knew there wasn't a correct answer to give her.

* * *

The room was quiet, the only sound was pencils moving across paper as Bakugo wrote.

Izuku was trying to study, he really was. It had been almost an hour since he got here, and he'd made it through at least five pages of Villain Handling before he got distracted by the idea that Kirishima might know something about Kaachan and has been holding it over his head during their interactions near Izuku.

It had been subtle at first; he honestly hadn't even really thought about it before Kaachan freaked out about Kirishima knowing they studied together. But after today's class, he knew something was up and started thinking about how he's been acting recently.

After Kaachan had said Izuku's name during that exercise with the robots, Kirishima had been grinning anytime Kaachan and Izuku were forced to work with each other. It didn't matter if it was collaborating on situations they talked about in class or doing paired training exercises together, he'd intervene with an arm slung over Kaachan's shoulder, or a sly comment and an odd glint in his eyes as he tapped his chin with his finger as if he were thinking. It had never seemed out of the ordinary because he always teased Kaachan in his own ways. They were friends outside of class, so having their own ways of communicating really wasn't too far of a stretch. But if Kirishima had been bringing up the video games, that meant he was teasing Kaachan about Izuku.

Izuku chewed his lip as he looked up at Bakugo, who was leaned over his desk scribbling on his notes. His shoulder muscles almost seemed to ripple under the sleeve of his shirt as his hand traveled across the paper. His face was relaxed, but concentration had knitted his eyebrows together as he focused on the words he wrote.

It was mesmerizing to watch him work. Kaachan was so dedicated to his studies and his training that it sometimes still struck Izuku in awe. Once you got past the explosiveness of his personality, he was as studious as they came. He was actually kind of reserved when he wasn't angry and yelling.

Hanging out with him the last month or so had been a breath of fresh air. This Kaachan was so different from the one he grew up with, who would find ways to trick him into thinking they were fine before taunting him again.

Izuku felt his face scrunching up in dread. What if Kirishima was taunting him because this was all an elaborate joke? What if Kirishima had made a bet of some kind that Kaachan couldn't be nice to Izuku and Kirishima would have to pay him in some way if Kaachan kept it up? That would certainly explain Kirishima's odd behavior when they were all three near each other.

He shook his head; that thought process was unfair to Kirishima. The red head was a prankster at times, but he had a very strict "Code of Manliness", as he liked to call it. He didn't like to undermine people. He liked to tackle things head on; he wouldn't be involved in anything underhanded to make fun of someone. He even mocked Kaachan openly, regardless of how angry it made the blonde. So, what could make him have this sly air about him whenever he was near Kaachan and Izuku?

Izuku tapped his pencil against his jaw as he continued watching Bakugo. He was completely unaware that green eyes were fixed on him; unaware of the thoughts plaguing Izuku's mind. Izuku couldn't help but to speculate his intentions. Their history was shaky at best, toxic at worst. He really wanted Kaachan to be sincere, but was that his best course of action? He'd been burned – figuratively and literally – by trusting Kaachan before.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts. Kaachan had been doing this for too long, his intentions couldn't be bad. Honestly, he trusted Kaachan. The idea of this being an elaborate plan to hurt him was really farfetched. He would need to talk to Kaachan about it, though. There were too many uncertainties involved. But how could he bring it up without Kaachan blowing him off and claiming he was overthinking things?

* * *

"Midoriya."

Izuku's eyes flew open at the sound of his name. Sleep clouded his vision for a moment as he processed what was going on. He was staring straight into those red eyes he'd somehow become accustomed to seeing; Bakugo was leaned over him slightly. He was a few feet above him, but Izuku was acutely aware of the hand laying on his chest that didn't belong to himself.

Fire scorched his cheeks as his mind processed that the hand belonged to the blonde watching him. His heart crashed against his ribcage, his mouth suddenly dry. He couldn't open his mouth to say anything, only a small exhale leaving his lips as his eyes searched Bakugo's. He wasn't sure how he was breathing. His chest felt like Sero had wrapped his tape around it as tight as he could.

Bakugo raised a brow, sitting beside him. It was then that he realized he was laying on his side, half-hugging a pillow. But he wasn't in his room. He inhaled sharply at the thought. The woodsy scent of Bakugo's room flooded his nose.

He had fallen asleep in Kaachan's room.

His eyes were wide as he watched the blonde sitting in front of his chest. Bakugo was pulling a stray string from his sweatpants but turned his attention to Izuku once it was removed. His expression looked somewhere between confused and…Izuku really wasn't sure. It wasn't a look he saw on Kaachan's face before.

He looked contemplative, though.

Bakugo shifted his weight, his fingertips grazing Izuku's arm as he propped himself up. The hair on Izuku's arm raised, static coursing through his veins at how close the other boy was to him. Every fiber of his being was screaming as he sat up and moved away from the blonde.

"Ka-Ka-Kaachan!" He yelped, trying to find a way to cover his burning cheeks. "I didn't—I mean, it wasn't—I, uh... This isn't what it looks like!"

He fiddled with his fingers, looking in every direction but the boy next to him in an attempt to find somewhere that didn't feel awkward to look at. How could he have fallen asleep while studying? He gulped as he finally rested his eyes on Bakugo. The blonde was watching him with a raised brow, surely wondering about his sanity.

Izuku knew he had to wondering about his sanity.

"Then what was it?" Bakugo muttered, his voice lilting in a way that Izuku could almost mistake as amusement.

He bit his lip and sputtered some more, not sure what to say. He had fallen asleep while he should've been studying. He had fallen asleep in Kaachan's room. He had fallen asleep in Kaachan's _bed_. He had all but cuddled with Kaachan's pillow. He couldn't….

He couldn't explain that away.

Bakugo chuckled, his lips just barely forming the start of a smile.

Izuku froze. Kaachan was…laughing? He was laughing at him? His eyes were wide as he studied the blonde in front of him. Kaachan's laugh was almost deep, and it was smooth. He'd never heard Kaachan laugh like that. Normally it was more manic, and it happened during battle or an argument. He'd never heard Kaachan genuinely amused over something.

Izuku could feel heat prickling his cheeks as he appreciated the sound. It was almost melodic, in a way. The things he would do to hear that sound more often.

He swallowed hard at the thought.

"S-Sorry." He mumbled, hiding his face in his hands.

Bakugo's lips were still curved upwards. "You're a damn nerd."

His voice was soft and calm; it was content.

Izuku pressed his lips together. His chest ached. He quickly started gathering his things, yelling an apology about falling asleep as he ran from the room. The door to Bakugo's room slammed behind him.

He didn't stop until he made it back inside his own room. His stuff dropped to the floor as he held himself up against the door, clutching his chest. Slowly, he slouched down until he was sitting, his knees up to his chest. Fingers ran through his hair as he stared at the foot of his bed, brows furrowed. He exhaled, leaning his head back against his door as he listened to the silence of his room.

He had just panicked when he woke up to Kaachan being that close, and he hadn't even been thinking about what it would look like to Kaachan when he took off. It was nothing but pure embarrassment from start to finish with that interaction.

His heart was still pounding from the adrenaline.

How was he going to explain this to Kaachan when they trained together in the morning?


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Phew! I felt like my wrist was never going to get better. Today was my last day off before my semester starts back up, so I sat down and did a bunch of writing for yall. My goal is to get yall updates out in a decent time frame after this, but this semester is my last one and it's gonna be rough. So please be patient with me, I promise the story is still going even if updates are slow. Anyways... I told yall this chapter was gonna be fun, and I enjoyed every second of writing it. I hope you guys enjoy it just as much as I did! I can't wait to write out what happens next, either! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

A yawn escaped Izuku's lips as he rubbed at his eyes. His walk to the track was slow. He had stayed up all night fretting about how to explain things to Bakugo and now he could barely keep his eyes open for the second morning in a row. By the time he made it, Bakugo was already training. It wasn't unusual for him to have already started, so Izuku began stretching out his arms and warming up his legs to join in.

He couldn't help himself to look over at the blonde, who was focused on what he was doing. Crimson eyes stared into the area in front of him as he worked, but he didn't seem angry. Izuku smiled to himself as he finally started walking over to the other boy. Maybe he had worked himself up over nothing. Kaachan wouldn't care about dumb stuff like last night.

"Morning, Kaachan." He greeted.

Bakugo glanced at him and then went back to his own exercises. Izuku faltered, having been so sure Bakugo would greet him with a nod or would take his fighting stance like he normally did when Izuku ran a little late. He frowned to himself then sighed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry I ran off like that last night." He murmured, embarrassed. "I, uh, I'm not used to getting less than six hours of sleep, so I just couldn't help falling asleep while we studied."

Bakugo huffed as he turned to face Izuku, his face knotted into a glare. He crossed his arms as he silently waited for Izuku to continued. Izuku swallowed hard. He hadn't really come up with a good excuse yet, so he really wasn't sure what to say. He pressed his lips together as he looked at the other boy. He had to come up with something.

"So, when I woke up in your room, I was just really embarrassed about falling asleep." He glanced away, biting his lip. "I didn't know what to say, so I just took off."

It wasn't exactly a lie. He had been embarrassed to fall asleep in Kaachan's bed. It wasn't really about falling asleep, though…it was more about the fact it was Kaachan's bed that made it embarrassing. But Kaachan didn't need to know that part.

"Dumbass." Bakugo grumbled, walking over to where Izuku stood.

He grabbed his water bottle and took a drink before wiping the excess off his lips. He laid the bottle back down, sighing. Izuku watched him with anticipation, completely unsure of how this was going to play out. Their friendship was weird, and they hadn't been put in this position before. Well, they had. Kaachan had fallen asleep in Izuku's room…but Kaachan hadn't acted like it was weird. Izuku did.

Maybe Izuku was the weird one for making this into a big deal. Which wouldn't really be a surprise since he'd suddenly found himself attracted to his childhood friend over the sound of his name.

"You overthink shit." The blonde finally muttered, making his way to where they normally spar.

Izuku followed him after sitting down his stuff. "I guess so."

"There's no guessing. You do."

Izuku frowned. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep. That puts a burden on you."

Bakugo rolled his eyes and took his stance. "I fell asleep in your room, too."

"That's different, though." Izuku fired back, taking his own stance.

"How?"

Bakugo took off towards him, throwing a right hook at the Izuku. Izuku blocked, elbowing Bakugo in the stomach and jumping backwards to put distance between them. Bakugo grunted, then took off towards Izuku again. Izuku waited until the blonde got close enough, then dropped low and swung his leg to trip him. Bakugo jumped sideways to dodge.

"Because I don't care if people sleep in my room. I woke you up when I wanted to go to bed." Izuku finally responded as he followed Bakugo.

The blonde did a backflip over him, then landed a kick on his side. Izuku felt his breath leave him as he got pushed sideways. He inhaled sharply as he put distance between them again before taking off towards Bakugo. He threw a punch with his left hand, then elbowed Bakugo in the shoulder when the blonde shifted to the right to dodge.

"You're an idiot." Bakugo huffed, landing a punch on Izuku's stomach.

Both boys put distance between themselves, Izuku panting over the loss of air with the second rough blow to his abdomen.

"How?" Izuku questioned, running towards Bakugo.

As he got closer, he darted to the side but was met with a Bakugo turning and landing another kick to his stomach. He wheezed as the air left him. He landed on his butt and took a deep breath.

"You win that round." He muttered, rubbing his stomach.

Bakugo frowned but still nodded. "If I cared, I'd have kicked you out."

Izuku shrugged. "It just felt rude to fall asleep in your room suddenly."

"Whatever." Bakugo snorted. "Do it again and I won't wake you up so you won't bitch about it."

Heat rushed to Izuku's cheeks. That almost sounded like he was implying they'd sleep in Kaachan's bed together if Izuku fell asleep over there again. That could be very, very bad. What if that happened and he had one of those dreams about Kaachan? He had to make sure he didn't fall asleep over there again.

"Get your fucking head out of the gutter, Deku." Bakugo growled. "Get up, let's fight."

Izuku could feel his cheeks getting hotter at the accusation. It was like Kaachan knew exactly what he was thinking. He stood, trying to focus on the blonde. He swallowed hard. It was more likely that Kaachan was just making a joke, but Izuku knew that joking like that wasn't something Kaachan really did. But if it wasn't a joke, then Kaachan knew the types of things Izuku thought about. He shook his head. It was just a joke. Kaachan was just joking because Izuku hadn't responded right away.

"You can't make me, Kaachan." Izuku teased as he got ready to go another round.

Bakugo smirked, taking off towards Izuku. Izuku couldn't help but to get sidetracked by the look in his eyes. There was just something about Bakugo when he was fired up now that they were hanging out. It was so different to see him focused on winning. Before he had seemed angry, now he was just determined and excited.

A stray thought that Kaachan was excited that Izuku had thoughts like that about him flashed through his mind. His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't stop Bakugo from tackling him to the ground. His back landed hard, forcing the air that had stopped in his throat to escape him. His eyes were wide as he stared up at the blond who was grinning arrogantly at him as he straddled his waist.

Bakugo leaned down so that his mouth barely brushed Izuku's. His hot breath licked at Izuku's lips. Izuku could feel his heart stutter as the hair on his arms stood on end. He briefly wondered if he had actually woken up that morning or if he was still dreaming. But then Bakugo lowered his head. Their cheeks were touching as Bakugo put his lips next to Izuku's ear. Izuku could faintly feel the soft skin touching his ear. He shuddered at the feeling.

Kaachan was warm.

"Don't tempt me unless you're serious, Midoriya." Bakugo breathed into his ear.

Everything moved in slow motion as those words processed in Izuku's mind. It was the same words Bakugo had said at when they finished laser tag that day weeks ago. Izuku had completely forgotten about it after he decided it was just Bakugo going on about the game. Izuku struggled slightly under him in a half-hearted attempt to get free.

But they were talking about—

Izuku frowned. Kaachan was just joking. He had to be.

Izuku was brought back when Bakugo sat up, fire in his eyes as he watched Izuku squirm under him. Izuku's heart pounded in his ears, he could feel it pulsing in his fingertips. He took a deep breath, making sure his foot was firmly planted on the ground before he bucked sideways, throwing Bakugo off him. He scrambled to get up, clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly to get rid of the feeling of his pulse throbbing in his fingertips. The wide grin on Bakugo's face as he watched Izuku was almost mischievous.

Izuku licked his lips in anticipation as he readied himself.

He should've known Bakugo was just messing with him to get the upper hand during their training.

* * *

It didn't matter if Kaachan had said that Izuku was overthinking things. How could he not when Kaachan does so many things that can be taken so many different ways? The way Kaachan had told him to not tempt him had sounded like a challenge. It was the same challenge Izuku had waved off weeks ago as Kaachan talking about that laser tag game. But yesterday….

Yesterday, the look in his eyes was different. Izuku wasn't sure how it was different. Kaachan had the same driven look, but there was something more to it. It was almost…aggressive? No, that wasn't right. It wasn't really angry, either. A part of him wanted to say it was predacious, like Izuku was something to be hunted and claimed.

He could feel himself shudder as his cheeks set on fire. This was why he was always overthinking things, as Kaachan liked to say it. Because Kaachan did things that didn't make sense. And it's not Izuku's fault that his mind took them and either sexualized them or somehow made him come to the conclusion that Kaachan was enjoying this closeness that they had here recently. If Kaachan just treated things normally, Izuku's mind wouldn't make up these weird scenarios and he wouldn't be fighting with himself on how to take Kaachan's personality. Why couldn't he just be a friend in a normal way? Then Izuku wouldn't have to worry about the feeling of Kaachan's breath tickling his lips and filling his lungs when he pinned him down, or the way his heart stuttered when Kaachan said his name.

He frowned as he knocked on Bakugo's door. It was all Kaachan's fault he felt this way.

Bakugo opened the door and let Izuku in. Izuku found his way over to Bakugo's bed, sitting down and scooting himself back to the wall like he'd done the few times before. Bakugo made his way over to his desk where his notes were already laid out after shutting the door. It was quiet in the room around them. It had been quiet yesterday too.

Izuku put his pencil in his mouth as he flipped his notebook to the right page. After training yesterday, neither of them had said a word to each other in class. Then when Bakugo had come over last night to study, the silence stayed. Bakugo was always quiet, but Izuku couldn't find the words to say without his cheeks turning the color of Kaachan's eyes. The moment he'd find something to say, the feeling of Kaachan's lips against his ear came rushing back and he could hear the words again as plain as day.

" _Don't tempt me unless you're serious, Midoriya."_

The words would echo in his mind until he'd close his mouth and regret even trying to break the silence that engulfed them.

He swallowed hard at the thought as he grabbed the pen out of his mouth. This was exactly why he was overthinking the whole situation. First, Kaachan was seemingly upset at Izuku for running out of his room the other night. Normally he greets him for training a handful of different ways, but to flat out ignore him was something he hadn't done when they trained together. And after Izuku had started apologizing, Kaachan had started acting normal again. Second, he pretty much said that he didn't care that Izuku had fallen asleep in his room. That alone was a huge thing to say in their friendship. They would hang out, but other than the few times Izuku had mentioned that he liked to study with Kaachan, they never told each other that they liked being in the other's presence. Third, he said that if Izuku fell asleep in his bed again he wouldn't wake him up. That basically implied that Kaachan was willing to sleep with him.

Izuku felt his cheeks get warm. Not _sleep_ -sleep with him – that would be inappropriate – but sleep in the same bed together. Which was a huge thing for them because they were only just getting used to being around each other and being friends again. And the fact that Izuku wasn't exactly looking at Kaachan like a friend, that was just a dangerous thing. Kaachan didn't even know how dangerous it was, but it was hard to tell how Izuku would react if he woke up in bed with Kaachan. He wouldn't be aggressive or anything, of course, but he just wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep his hands to himself. His mom always poked fun at him when he was little because he was a cuddler. What if he tried to cuddle Kaachan?

"I can feel you worrying from across the room." Bakugo grumbled, raising a brow at Izuku when their eyes met.

Izuku pressed his lips together before smiling. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kaachan."

"Sure, you don't." He rolled his eyes and went back to his notes.

Kaachan was obviously more in-tune to Izuku's thoughts than he ever had been before. Ever since they had started hanging out, Kaachan was able to pick up on Izuku's moods a lot easier. It was interesting at first when Kaachan had made small comments about his mood being different. He had always known Kaachan was observant but being subject to his observations was intriguing. But right now, it was frustrating.

Izuku bit his lip and tried to focus on his notes. Worrying about whatever was going through Kaachan's mind when he observed these things wasn't going to fix anything. He just needed to focus on his homework. That's what he needed to do. That's how he was going to survive the way Kaachan had been acting.

At some point, Izuku had felt himself get tired, so he had leaned his head backwards against the wall and closed his eyes. It shouldn't have been a surprised for him to be so tired. He didn't sleep well Sunday night because he had been playing video games with Kaachan, and he didn't sleep well Monday night because he had been worrying about falling asleep in Kaachan's bed. Then on Tuesday night, he didn't sleep well because he'd been thinking about how Kaachan had acted while they trained. It really wasn't fair how it was only affecting him and Kaachan seemed to act like everything was normal with how things were between them.

When Izuku woke up, he felt refreshed for the first time in days. He couldn't remember when he went back to his room, but that was fine. He laid there, enjoying the silence of his dark room. It had been a while since he'd woken up in the middle of the night and just got to lay there.

The smell of the woodsy scent of Bakugo's room finally entering his nose caused him to snap his eyes open.

The room was dark, all he could hear was his own breathing. He rolled onto his side, coming face to face with Bakugo. The blonde was sleeping, his face relaxed and his breathing steady. Izuku could feel his heart thrashing against his chest.

Kaachan had just been joking when he said he'd let Izuku sleep the next time he fell asleep in his room, right? So, knowing that, he had to be dreaming. Right?

His hand shook as he reached out towards Bakugo's face. He cupped the other boy's cheek in his hand, rubbing his cheekbone with his thumb. Bakugo was so warm. He looked so calm and soft while he slept, just like the night he fell asleep in Izuku's room. It was so different from the rough Kaachan he knew before. He bit his lip as he studied the other boy's features.

He smiled to himself as he started to pull his hand back from Bakugo's face. He didn't get it fully lifted before one of Bakugo's hands rested over it, pushing it back against the blonde's cheek.

His stomach jumped into his mouth as he stared at the boy in front of him. His heart raced, pounding in his ears. The hand that laid atop his wrapped around it, holding it gently. Izuku could feel his lungs stutter as he tried to breathe. He waited with pursed lips for the other boy to open his eyes, but that time never seemed to come. Izuku relaxed under the pressure of Bakugo's hand.

Maybe Kaachan was still asleep. Obviously he wouldn't hold Izuku's hand if he was awake, so he had to be asleep. Izuku could feel his chest aching. It would have been nice if Kaachan was awake, though. It would mean that Izuku wasn't the only one fighting with these thoughts and these urges to be near the other. But with Kaachan being asleep, it meant he wasn't caught in a compromising situation if Kaachan didn't feel that way. If Kaachan had been awake, he could've used this against Izuku to torment him later.

He slowly pulled his hand out from under Bakugo's, watching the other boy carefully to make sure he wasn't waking him up. Once his hand was free, he realized he was faced with another issue.

Bakugo was laying on the side of the bed that wasn't next to the wall.

He stared at Bakugo's face, almost expecting the blonde to tell him how to get out of this situation. There was no right way to handle this. If he acted like he was asleep, he'd have to act like he didn't wake up in the middle of the night. If he woke Kaachan up when he was climbing over him, that would be a whole new can of worms he didn't know if he could handle. He didn't think he'd be able to look Kaachan in the eye if that happened.

He sighed as he watched Bakugo breathe. The way his hair fell across his face, and how his lips parted ever so slightly. He swallowed hard, reaching back out towards the blonde's cheek again. He frowned then laid it down next to him. He could be caught if he touched him again.

Warm fingers found their way onto his hand, loosely intertwining with his own. He could feel fire licking his cheeks as he looked down at Bakugo's hand holding his. His eyes felt like the could pop out with how wide they were.

Oh god, was this really happening?

Izuku shut his eyes in a vain attempt to make the situation disappear. Who knew that Kaachan was so touchy-feely in his sleep? Why was it Izuku that was experiencing it? Wasn't he dealing with enough by wanting more than friendship from Kaachan?

He struggled to slow his breathing down when the alarm clock next to Kaachan's bed blared. He could feel his entire body freeze, not even his lungs moved at the sound. It wasn't until they begged for air that he let a steady breath of air into his lungs. He was so glad he had closed his eyes. What if Kaachan thought that Izuku was the one to make them hold hands?

Oh no.

They were still holding hands.

Bakugo let out the softest groan as he rolled sideways and turned off the alarm. Izuku stayed motionless, trying his best to play the part of sleeping-Izuku-who-had-no-idea-he-was-in-Kaachan's-room…but his heart was going crazy.

Bakugo sighed as he rolled back over, facing Izuku again. He was silent for a moment before his fingers flexed under Izuku's. They laid like that for what felt like hours to Izuku. With his eyes closed in a dark room, in such a compromising position, he didn't know how much time was passing.

Finally, the blonde unhooked their fingers. He brushed some hair from Izuku's forehead before sitting up.

Bakugo mumbled something under his breath before he shook Izuku's shoulder. "Wake up, dumb ass."

Izuku frowned in the way he imagined anyone would if they were being forced to wake up before opening his eyes. He blinked a few times before letting his eyes widen in fake confusion, praying to anything and everything that it looked real.

"Kaachan?" He questioned. "What time is it?"

"Three thirty." Bakugo yawned. "Don't throw a fit like last time. Let's go train."

With that, Bakugo stood and walked to the other side of the room and started digging through his drawer for clothes. Izuku sat up and watched the other boy. His heart was going crazy and his thoughts weren't far behind it.

They had slept in the same room last night. They had slept in the same bed last night. They hadn't done that even when they were kids. Did it mean something? Or was it Kaachan just following through with what he threatened the other day when they trained? But that meant that Kaachan had made a conscious decision to lay down with him last night. Didn't Izuku fall asleep sitting up? Did that mean that Kaachan had to lay him down too?

"I told you not to throw a fit." Bakugo barked, throwing a t-shirt and some shorts at Izuku.

Izuku caught the clothes, staring at the blonde with uncertainty. "I, uh…I…"

"Don't overthink things. I told you that too."

Izuku opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, pressing his lips together before nodding.

Bakugo nodded. "Hurry up. I don't want to be late."

Izuku stood and started changing into Bakugo's clothes, but his mind was still running wild. He didn't know what to make of this. Maybe for friends who were a lot closer this was normal, but for him and Kaachan...it wasn't. And yet, Kaachan was acting like nothing was weird about the whole thing. He didn't even care that they had held hands while he slept. Maybe he just knew it was something that happened in their sleep. Like a natural reaction to hug someone you love after not seeing them for a while.

Heat rushed to his cheeks again. His heart still hadn't stopped pounding against his chest.

What in the world was going on between them?


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I just couldn't _not_ write this chapter. I was excited to dig more into the issue. But it's almost weird because I'm even more excited for the next chapter than I was this one...because Kirishima is a thing next chapter and I'm beyond stoked to bring him back because he's been such an instigator in this story for me. Or is that too much of a spoiler? Hmm... oh well. Enjoy!

Also, a recent review stated that someone was having issues viewing one of the chapters. Anyone else having issues? It's working on my end, so I don't believe the issue is with the chapter itself, so try reaching out to the support e-mail on the help page if you are so they can get it fixed for you.

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Green eyes stared up at the cloudy sky above them, fully content. It had been a few days since Izuku had woken up in Bakugo's room and things were back to normal for the pair. At first, Izuku had been full of questions. He had tried multiple times to bring it up on Thursday while they trained, but Bakugo had brushed him off each time with a "quit overthinking things" or a "dumbass". Izuku had tried dropping it, but the questions still swirled around his mind. Why didn't Kaachan just wake him up? What was going on between them? Why was Kaachan acting like this?

Friday night, Izuku had enough and turned to face Bakugo while he sat on Izuku's bed, studying.

" _Why didn't you wake me up Wednesday night?" Izuku questioned, eyes full of determination._

 _Bakugo glanced up at him and sighed before looking back at his notes. "Are you still on this, Deku?"_

 _Frustration bubbled in his chest. "Yes. Because you won't answer my questions."_

" _You're such a hassle sometimes, damn it." Bakugo grumbled, flipping through a few pages before finding the one he was looking for. "It was easier that way."_

" _How?"_

 _A growl escaped from the blonde as he looked up at Izuku. "What the fuck do you mean 'how'?"_

" _How was it easier to sleep in bed with me than it was to just wake me up like last time?" He countered, not backing down._

" _Oh my fucking god." Bakugo huffed. "You're a damn idiot."_

" _You keep saying that but you're not explaining anything."_

 _Bakugo rolled his eyes. "What is there to explain? It's easier to go train if you're there and I don't have to wonder if you're going to over sleep, which you do a whole fucking lot."_

 _The blonde stared straight at him and raised a brow at him as if daring him to ask another question. Izuku frowned as he took in the explanation, then sighed. Kaachan was right, he did oversleep more than he should. But it was never more than ten minutes, so he was being very particular about it._

" _I'm never that late, Kaachan." Izuku grumbled under this breath._

" _Late is late. Are you done asking stupid questions now?"_

They had gone back to studying right after, as if the conversation never happened. Things had been back to normal once Bakugo came over to study Saturday, and things were still normal this morning when they trained.

He sighed as he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze blowing his hair around. Maybe Kaachan had been right, maybe he had been overthinking things. Everyone had always told him that he was always overanalyzing situations, and sometimes he jumped to the wrong conclusion. And because he felt…something for Kaachan, it was probably just making it hard for him to look at the situation objectively. That would make the most sense. Kaachan had been nothing but honest with him so far, even if he was quiet.

The only issue now was figuring out what Kaachan meant when he said not to tempt him. Izuku reopened his eyes, watching the clouds pass by overhead. This was why he had an issue of overthinking how Kaachan acts around him. His explanation and that challenge didn't add up.

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing again. This whole thing was just frustrating.

"What are you doing, dumbass?"

Izuku glanced upwards, catching sight of Bakugo's blonde hair. He frowned at the boy standing near his head before closing his eyes. He liked his time with Kaachan, but he really wanted to think through all of this right now.

"I'm enjoying the sunshine." He mumbled, probably more to himself than to Bakugo.

"Tch."

Silence wrapped around the two. Izuku wasn't even sure if the blonde stuck around after that explanation, but it didn't exactly matter.

He pursed his lips. That was a lie. It did matter. Even if Kaachan was the source of his frustrations, he still wanted to be around him. He was really only frustrated because when Kaachan would get that close, when Kaachan's breath warmed his lips…he wanted to do things that Kaachan would never want to do.

He took in a deep breath as the wind started to blow again, opening his eyes and reaching his right hand toward the sky as if he could touch the clouds floating above him. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Bakugo sitting to his left. A smile spread across his face before he knew it. Kaachan never did seem to mind sitting in the silence with him. It was almost an agreement now that they would sit together in silence if they were alone. Izuku turned his head towards the blonde, watching him.

Bakugo was leaning backwards with his arms propping him up, one knee bent towards his chest. There wasn't a trace of irritation on his face at the situation. He was just calmly watching the wind blow through the trees in front of them. His face was relaxed, a look that Izuku had come to expect but still appreciated each time. Crimson eyes glanced over at Izuku after a few moments.

"Thank you." Izuku beamed at him.

The blonde furrowed his brows and looked away, clearing his throat. "For?"

It must've been a trick of the sunlight, but Izuku could swear he saw a dusting of pink on the other boy's cheeks before he looked away. He cocked his head to the side, confusion written across his face, as he studied the side of Bakugo's head, as if suddenly he would get an answer from it. Finally, he looked back towards the sky, smiling again.

"For being fine with just sitting in silence."

Bakugo snorted. "Talking is overrated most of the time."

Izuku held back a laugh. "Don't get me wrong, I like talking. Like that time that we went to that restaurant and hung out for a while over that bet, or when we played video games. But I like sitting here with you like this too."

The wind blew through the trees and grass around them. As the silence around them grew, Izuku could feel heat rising in his cheeks. He always had this weird habit of saying embarrassing things when they were alone together. It was the worst. And with Kaachan being so quiet, he never knew how he took what Izuku said. His reactions were so…unrevealing. Unlike Izuku, who felt like an open book for the entire world to read at their leisure.

He wondered if it was obvious to Kaachan, too.

Bakugo stood up, looking down on Izuku. They locked eyes and Izuku was immediately drawn in by the intensity of Kaachan's eyes. A small frown formed across the blonde's features after a moment. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing away before meeting Izuku's eyes again.

"Let's watch a movie tonight instead of studying."

Izuku's heart stuttered in his chest, his eyes wide, as he sat up quickly. The world around them almost seemed to fade from Izuku's vision as he stared at the boy in front of him. His brows knitted together as he studied Bakugo. Where was this coming from? A movie? Just the two of them?

"A, uh…a movie?" He stammered.

Bakugo frowned, looking away from Izuku. "I don't want to study tonight."

"What, uh," Izuku licked his lips, trying to find his words. "what kind of movie would we watch?"

"Don't overthink it." Bakugo's words were pretty sharp for someone who wouldn't look at him. "I tried to see Kill the Storm, but Shitty Hair never had free time while it was in theatres."

Izuku nodded, more to himself than to Bakugo. It was a thriller movie, so it should be interesting enough that he could focus more on the movie than the fact he was doing something a normal friend would do with Kaachan. He chewed his lip as he looked at the boy standing above him. Bakugo still wasn't looking at him. The blonde cleared his throat after a moment of silence passed, but Izuku was pretty sure it was supposed to sound more threatening than it did. He could feel his face heating up all over again. That meant that Kaachan wanted him to answer him, he wanted confirmation that Izuku wanted to watch it.

"Sure. Should I bring anything?"

The blonde looked over at him, brows knitted together. Izuku couldn't tell if he was frustrated or...was he flustered? It was certainly an expression he was starting to see on Kaachan's face more since they had been around each other recently. At first, he didn't know what kind of expression it was but seeing Kaachan's face scrunched up like that now, he just…somehow knew that's what it had to be. He smiled to himself. It was kind of cute.

"Do whatever you want." Bakugo huffed and turned away.

Izuku watched him walk back towards the dorm building. He shook his head and laid back against the grass again to stare back up at the sky. A grin was plastered on his lips, his cheeks a brilliant shade of red.

The idea of Kaachan being flustered around him made his heart flutter and his stomach climb into his throat. He wasn't really sure what he could be nervous about, though, they were going to be in his room tonight anyways. Last week they played video games on a whim. Watching a movie wasn't really all that different. Maybe it was because he asked this time instead of just making plans?

But was it that embarrassing for him to ask? He had mentioned trying to see it while it was in theatres with Kirishima, so asking a friend to watch a movie together shouldn't have made him so antsy.

Should it?

He sighed, closing his eyes and listening to the wind rustle the leaves in the trees.

Kaachan was honestly such a mystery sometimes.

* * *

Of all the ways he had imagined they would be sitting to watch a movie, this was not one of them. He was certain his heart was going to beat out of his chest any time Kaachan moved. Why were they sitting so close? Was it really necessary?

Izuku bit his lip as he leaned his head back against the wall. They were sitting on Bakugo's bed, backs to the wall, watching the movie on a laptop set up on a makeshift table sitting in front of the bed. Their shoulders were just barely touching, and when they weren't moving it was comforting to have the constant source of heat so close to him. But anytime either one of them shifted, Izuku was acutely aware of just how close they were.

He swallowed hard as he looked down at how close their hands were to each other. If he wanted, he could just barely shift and their hands would be touching, too. It was something he'd thought about the entire time they'd been watching the movie so far.

Which was about fifteen minutes.

"Midoriya." Bakugo's gruff voice pulled him straight from his thoughts. "Quit fidgeting. I'm trying to watch this."

Izuku could feel the heat rush to his cheeks at the sound of his name. He looked straight ahead at the screen, refusing to look at the other boy.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

He took a deep breath, trying to relax and focus on the movie. After a few more minutes, he finally accomplished just that. He settled into the bed a little lower while halfway crossing one leg over the other. His shoulder pushed into Bakugo's a little more, but that was fine. It was more than fine, actually. The warmth that always seemed to radiate off Kaachan always seemed to draw him in.

Plus, if Kaachan wasn't going to say anything about how close they were, he wanted to enjoy it.

The main character on the screen screamed, causing Izuku to jump since he hadn't been paying attention to the movie. Bakugo snorted at him, a tiny curve on his lips. Izuku gave him a half-hearted frown.

"It didn't scare me." He defended.

"Sure." Bakugo didn't even look away from the screen, but he looked thoroughly amused at Izuku's response.

Izuku rolled his eyes and settled back into his spot. Static seemed to skim across his skin as his arm pressed against Bakugo's. He breathed out slowly, glancing sideways at the blonde who was still engrossed in the movie. Izuku swallowed.

It was a good thing this was a movie Kaachan wanted to see, or he'd probably be throwing a fit. But he wanted more. He flexed and extended his fingers, grazing Bakugo's hand. His eyes darted to the blonde's face for any sign of a reaction, but Bakugo wasn't paying him any mind.

Izuku could feel his stomach in his throat, his heart slamming against his chest, his cheeks on fire. All he could think about was wanting to hold Kaachan's hand. The feeling was so strong, he could almost feel the pressure of someone gripping his own. Kaachan would absolutely lose his head if he actually tried to, but he hadn't reacted yet.

He bit his lip and took a shaky breath. May as well try it out and see what happens. He stretched his arms out in front of him, lacing his fingers and pushing forward. His fingers popped at the force, and he sighed. When he relaxed his arms back down, he laid his hand up against Bakugo's. Electricity shot through him, but his emerald eyes focused on the screen in front of them, refusing to look over at the blonde beside him. If Kaachan had an issue, he'd bring it up. If he brought it up, Izuku could play it off as not noticing.

But Bakugo didn't say a word.

For the first few minutes, Izuku had to keep reminding himself to breathe. His eyes were on the screen, but his attention was solely on the warmth of Kaachan's hand against his own. It wasn't until his lungs would burn for air that he realized he was so worried about Kaachan noticing the contact he hadn't taken a breath.

After a while, he relaxed. The movie was probably almost three-quarters done and neither boy had moved. Izuku had finally gotten into the movie when Bakugo leaned against him, his head dropping onto Izuku's shoulder. His heart rate accelerated at the contact. He bit his lip before daring to steal a glance at the other boy. The moment his eyes landed on Bakugo's face, though, he could feel the tension in his muscles release.

Bakugo was asleep. His breathing was slow and steady, his expression tranquil. Izuku bit his lip, reaching up and lightly pushing some of the hair out of Bakugo's closed eyes. It fell right back where it was. Izuku chuckled to himself for even trying to tame his unruly hair. His eyes traced Bakugo's jawline, taking in how soft the boy's features were when he slept.

Izuku inhaled deeply, leaning his head back against the wall. Everything and nothing was running through his mind all at once. Kaachan was handsome when he slept. The way his chest would rise and fall was almost hypnotizing. The heat he radiated seemed to intensify, drawing Izuku closer. The sound of his breathing was soothing.

He wanted nothing more than to hold his hand at that moment.

He bit his lip and looked towards the bedroom door. This was so embarrassing he couldn't even handle seeing Kaachan out of the corner of his eye.

Slowly, he curled his hand around Bakugo's. It was hesitant at first, the fear of Bakugo waking up still lingering in his mind. But once his hand was on top of the other boy's, he intertwined their fingers and began to tighten his grip ever so slightly.

His heartbeat faltered and his breath caught in his throat when Bakugo's fingers flexed under his. His head jerked towards the other boy, who was still sound asleep on his shoulder. He exhaled, the anxiety of being caught lessening as he breathed.

This was so risky.

He'd have hell to pay if he got caught like this. Granted, Kaachan didn't get angry when he woke up to them holding hands a few nights back. But Izuku had been asleep when that happened. There was a chance that Kaachan had just ignored it because it was something they could've done in their sleep.

Absentmindedly, he rubbed at the back of Bakugo's hand. The skin on his hand was surprisingly soft. His palm was calloused, but the back of his hand was far from it.

He rested his head on top of Bakugo's as he watched the credits begin to roll on the laptop monitor. He really needed to let go of his hand, he needed to go back to his own room…but he couldn't find the will to move.

Kaachan was so warm.

It didn't take long before everything around him faded into black as he fell asleep.

When Izuku woke up, everything that had happened before he fell asleep hit him like a ton of bricks. The room around him was silent and dark. The laptop must have turned itself off at some point. He could still feel Bakugo leaning against his shoulder, his fingers tingled with the telltale sign of his arm being asleep. He flexed his fingers to force the sensation away and immediately froze.

They were still holding hands.

It took everything in him not to groan outwardly and chance waking Kaachan. How did he keep ending up in these weird situations with him? Well, this time it was his own fault. But still. How did he even manage to fall asleep like this? The chances of getting caught were way too high. That was so risky.

He sighed to himself and slowly untangled his fingers from Bakugo's. Once his hand was free, he gently repositioned Bakugo so that when he got up he wouldn't fall in either direction. He climbed out of the bed and turned to look at the blonde. A smile formed on his lips and he shook his head.

It was so weird to him that Kaachan was a heavy sleeper.

He reached over and laid Bakugo down so that his head was on his pillow. He studied the blonde's face for a second before sighing and turning to put the laptop onto the desk. Falling asleep had been a bad idea. Would he even be able to fall asleep once he walked back to his own dorm?

He shook his head and made his way over to his backpack, which he had brought just in case they had decided to study after the movie. Ultimately, it had ended up a useless attempt to keep their normalcy.

Just as he went to pick it up, Bakugo groaned quietly from the bed before sitting up and leaning on his arm. He rubbed his eye with his free hand as he looked around the room. He frowned when he saw Izuku standing at the foot of the bed with his backpack in his hands before looking towards his alarm clock. Izuku cocked his head to the side, curious what could possibly be running through his mind.

Bakugo looked back towards him, still frowning. "Get back in bed."

Izuku froze, his heart skipping a beat. "W-What?"

"It's after one-thirty. Get back in bed."

A yawn escaped the blonde's mouth as he laid back down. Izuku's grip on his backpack tightened as he stared at the blonde, completely bewildered.

Kaachan…Kaachan wants him to sleep with him? Again?

He must have stood there for a solid minute before he remembered to breathe. His eyes travelled to the door that was less than two feet away from him, then back to the blonde whose eyes were already closed again.

If he got into bed with Kaachan, how would he even go about it? He could just leave and assume that Kaachan was talking in his sleep. He probably wouldn't even remember it, honestly. That would be his best bet, because he wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon after that comment anyways. His heart was beating too fast and his mind had automatically jumped to wanting to cuddle with the blonde.

"Quit overthinking shit and get back in bed." Bakugo grumbled, though his tone didn't have much bite through the exhaustion.

Izuku took a deep breath and let go of his bag, walking over to the edge of the bed. Bakugo's back was to the wall. If he laid down, he would have to make a conscious decision to either face Kaachan or put his back to him. And there really wasn't enough room on the bed for them to be far enough away for Izuku to feel comfortable doing either by choice.

Bakugo reached up, grabbing Izuku's wrist and pulling him down into the bed before Izuku could make up his mind. A squeak escaped his mouth as he fell. Once he was on the bed, he shifted into a more comfortable position onto his side, facing Bakugo. His cheeks were on fire. Their faces were only a hands-length away from each other.

Were they this close when he woke up the other night? He couldn't remember.

It wasn't long before Bakugo's breathing got deeper, his face relaxing just enough so that Izuku knew he was asleep. He felt the tension in his shoulders lessen once he wasn't facing a conscious Bakugo. For some reason, it was a lot less intimidating when he was asleep.

He reached up and traced the outline of Bakugo's jaw with his fingertips, pausing once he reached his chin. He swallowed hard as he used his thumb to touch just under Bakugo's bottom lip. His heart was racing.

What was he even doing?

He pulled his hand back to his chest and watched the other boy sleep. He really needed to keep his actions under control. If he wasn't careful, one time he could slip up and do something like that while Kaachan was awake. He could lose his temper and suddenly they wouldn't be friends anymore. Not that Izuku could blame him if that's what happened.

He closed his eyes, which were suddenly too heavy to keep open. His chest ached, the boy sleeping next to him was so close but way too far away.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to just curl up to Kaachan's side and sleep with his head on the blonde's shoulder to enjoy the warmth that radiated off of him.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: All of your reviews for the last chapter were the best, you guys! I love hearing from y'all and your thoughts on what's going on. There will be more fluff to come, I promise! But, with that said, this chapter is a little...different. I honestly loved changing the pace by having Kirishima stick his nose into their 'relationship'. It helps our little Izuku out so much. So I hope you guys still enjoy it!

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

Sunlight filtering through the window is what woke Izuku up the next morning. His face scrunched up as he blinked to remove the sleep from his eyes. Once he could see properly, his heart stopped.

It wasn't until his lungs pleaded for him to take a breath in that he truly processed the situation.

He was still in Kaachan's room, Kaachan was still asleep, and their faces were less than an inch apart. He bit his lip as he stared at the sleeping blonde. His expression was so peaceful. His mouth was just barely parted, his hair covering his eyes.

Izuku reached over and brushed some of the hair from Bakugo's eyes, smiling when it fell right back into place. His fingertips feathered across the other boy's jawline before he pulled back. Bakugo didn't even flinch at his touch.

He would love to wake up to this every morning.

The smile on his face faded as he watched Bakugo sleep. Thinking like that was a luxury he couldn't afford. They had just started to become really good friends. Yes, it had stemmed from the fact that the way Kaachan said his name sent shivers down his spine, and it didn't help that when Kaachan was this close, Izuku wanted to hold him or even be wrapped up in the other boy's arms. God, when he was this close he wanted so badly to just kiss him. But that didn't matter because they were friends. Kaachan had said they were if that's what Izuku wanted. So that's what they were, right?

All he could hear, though, was Kirishima's voice repeating _"sounds like they're really close"_ over and over in his mind. Kirishima was the closest person to Kaachan. So, what did it mean if it was him that was saying that they sounded close?

He frowned. Did Kirishima even know that it was him in Kaachan's room playing video games that night? The red head obviously knew something, and he was definitely holding something over Kaachan's head...but did he know that it was Izuku that was hanging out with Kaachan? Or was it all unrelated? He would have to find a way to ask him during class today.

Izuku could feel his eyes get wide and anxiety shoot through his chest like a spear.

Oh no.

Class.

What time was it?

He shot into a sitting position and searched the room for Bakugo's alarm clock, forgetting where it was in his panic. When his eyes landed on it, it took everything in him not to cry out in dread. It was 7:47; class started in thirteen minutes. He immediately turned to the boy still sleeping beside him and shook him urgently.

"Kaachan!" He was trying not to shout, but he knew he was still loud. "Kaachan, wake up! We're late!"

Bakugo frowned at the sudden assault, yawning as he sat up. "What the fuck are you going on about?"

Izuku was already jumping from the bed, hands in his hair as he tried to figure out how to get to class on time. "Class starts in thirteen…no, twelve minutes. I don't have time to go back to my dorm to change or I'll be late."

Bakugo grunted before getting up and making his way to his closet. He frowned as he sifted through the hangers before finally selecting a uniform, tossing it at Izuku. It landed overtop the green-haired boy's head.

"What's this?" He questioned, confusion and panic battling to claim dominance in his voice as he pulled it from his head and looked over at Bakugo.

The blonde shrugged as he changed into a separate uniform. "Old uniform. Might be a little big, but it's a uniform for the day."

To say that Izuku's cheeks felt like they were on fire would be an understatement. It felt like someone had taken a hot skillet from a stove and branded his face with it. Kaachan was offering him a uniform? It had been one thing when it was a t-shirt and some shorts to train in. No one would see that. Everyone would see this. Would they notice? How could they not notice? Kaachan has always worn baggier uniforms.

He stammered as he looked between the uniform in his hands and Bakugo, who was already in the process of putting on his shoes.

"If you don't wanna be late, change." Bakugo offered his explanation with a smirk as he leaned back against the door.

Izuku nodded and changed quickly, grabbing his bag and dragging Bakugo out the door. In a split second, Izuku had decided that the elevators would take too long and sprinted for the stairs. His mind was working out every possible scenario to get himself to class on time. Being late wasn't exactly a huge deal in the eyes of the school, but Aizawa always made sure to find a way to punish students who were late.

Which, in turn, made it a huge deal if you valued not being tortured.

Pulling Bakugo was starting to become a hassle, though. Kaachan had always made it known that he didn't care if he was punished for simple things that couldn't be helped, though he would call the punishment "dumb as fuck" when it happened. It was an interesting quality for someone who always wanted to be the best. As they entered the stairwell, he looked towards Bakugo, who seemed less than impressed with the entire situation.

"Whoever makes it to class last buys the other lunch for a week." He breathed.

That sparked interest in the blonde almost immediately. A haughty grin flew across his face as he started cracking his knuckles.

"I'll beat your ass, Deku!" He shouted as he took off.

Izuku sighed, shaking his head. Leave it to Kaachan to only be fueled by competition in such a desperate situation. He sped up to match Bakugo's pace. Izuku was a few steps behind Bakugo the entire way. Any time he would get beside the blonde, a small explosion would go off in his face to deter him from passing him. But it didn't matter. Right now, he was more focused on getting to class on time.

It hadn't taken long for them to storm through the doors of their classroom. Bakugo turned and grinned at Izuku, shoving a finger into the shorter boy's chest.

"I win, Deku." He gloated. "You better pay up during lunch."

Izuku nodded to the blonde who was already walking towards his desk. He glanced at the clock on the wall, sighing in relief. They got there with two minutes to spare. Not that two minutes was really a lot, but it was better than being late and being subjected to whatever Aizawa saw fit as punishment. He shuddered at the thought as he made his way to his seat behind Bakugo. Aizawa appeared in the front of the room as he sat down.

Today was going to be a long day. He wasn't sure who all noticed him and Kaachan come into the classroom together, and that meant he didn't know if he'd have to answer any questions later about it. Would he even be able to tell the truth? That he stayed the night with Kaachan last night? Or would the fiery teen get mad at him? Kaachan had been so angry about the idea of Kirishima finding out, and reminded him to be quiet the day that they played video games so that Kirishima wouldn't hear.

He chewed on his lip, glancing across the room at the redhead. Kirishima was focused on the lecture Aizawa had already started. The redhead had been teasing Kaachan since that training exercise forever ago and Kaachan didn't want him to know about the two of them hanging out.

What, exactly, did he know?

* * *

Izuku dropped backwards onto his bed and stared at his ceiling. He hadn't been able to pay attention to class at all today. He was so focused on trying to figure out why Kaachan didn't seem to care about him sleeping in bed with him and figuring out what Kirishima knew that he didn't pay any attention to the lectures.

It didn't help that now he not only needed to return Kaachan's clothes that he trained in, but also the uniform. He really needed to do laundry before he could return them though. Did he even have any clean clothes besides Kaachan's shirt and shorts he had already washed?

He groaned, covering his eyes. That meant he was going to have to do two sets of laundry today. One to wash all his clothes plus Kaachan's uniform, then a second set to wash Kaachan's clothes that he'd have to wear to the laundry room. Hopefully no one else was doing laundry right after class on a Monday afternoon.

After changing into the shirt and shorts Bakugo let him borrow last week, he threw all of the dirty clothes in his room into a basket and made his way to the laundry room. No one was in the common room as he passed through. He caught himself briefly wondering if they all went out to the mall or were studying for their test later this week. Honestly, he should probably study some while he waited for the laundry to finish.

He froze when he opened the door to the laundry room and Kirishima was standing next to the dryer, folding clothes and laying them in his own basket. He swallowed hard. Hopefully Kirishima wouldn't notice he was wearing Kaachan's clothes.

"Hey, Kirishima!" He chirped, pulling the basket close to his chest.

Kirishima glanced up and grinned at him. "What's up, man?"

Izuku shrugged, heaving the basket up onto the washer. "Laundry. Been putting it off for a few days."

He kept his side to Kirishima as he started throwing clothes into the washer. Kirishima laughed as he continued folding his clothes.

"Me too, dude." He shook his head. "You'd think after almost three years we'd be less likely to put it off."

Izuku chuckled, nodding. It was weird how often they all put off their normal responsibilities like doing laundry or dishes. They spent so much time studying and training that sometimes their everyday tasks just seemed unimportant.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they went about their duties. It didn't take long for Izuku's mind to wander to the red head though. He glanced over at him, but he was just folding his clothes the same as he had been before Izuku walked in. Maybe all the teasing had been something Izuku had imagined. He'd been imagining a bunch of things lately, it felt like. Especially with Kaachan.

As he finished loading clothes into the washer and adding detergent, he sat the basket on the ground to shut the door to the machine. He reached up and turned the dials to where he wanted them and pressed the start button. Once it gave off a small 'ding' and started running, he smiled to himself. The battle with laundry was almost half over. He went to lean over to pick up the basket when he realized Kirishima was facing him. He had his hip leaned into the dryer, his hands in his pockets, and an expression that was a really odd mix of contemplation and amusement.

"Get a new shirt, dude?" He questioned.

His tone was so innocent and nonchalant. It did not by any means match his expression. Every hair on Izuku's body stood on end as he blinked at the boy in front of him. He glanced down at his shirt and felt his blood run cold.

In the instant he had started to go through his normal motions, he had forgotten he was in Kaachan's clothes. He had let his guard down. Kaachan was going to murder him for his.

He laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. What could he even say to get out of this?

Kirishima didn't wait for a response as a grin raced across his face. "It actually looks just like one of Bakugo's shirts, now that I think about it."

Izuku swallowed hard. The red head in front of him had never looked so mischievous. He hadn't thought it was a look the other boy could even pull off until now. Even when he was pulling pranks, he just looked happy and unable to contain his excitement. But this look was different.

"D-Does it?" Izuku asked, pulling at the hem of it so he could look at it. "I never realized, I guess."

"Really?" Kirishima walked closer to him until their chests were almost touching. "They're actually so similar, I'd even bet there was a stain on the inside of it where I dropped curry on it a few weeks ago and never told him."

Before Izuku could do anything, Kirishima had reached up and pulled the neck of the shirt downwards, flipping it inside out. A small stain, roughly the size of a coin, was staring up at the both of them. It was basically mocking the green-haired boy as it made its debut. Izuku's heart galloped at the sight.

Only Kirishima would know something like that. Only Kirishima would be able to completely trap him. He took a deep breath and looked back up, his eyes locking on the red ones already studying his face. They were almost the same color as Kaachan's, just a little lighter. He swallowed hard.

"Thought so." The red head all-but sung as another smile tugged at his lips.

"W-What do you mean?" The words left his mouth in a squeak.

He cleared his throat, not sure why his voice had betrayed him. He wasn't intimidated by Kirishima. But now he was very aware of how much Kirishima knew. Kaachan had told him once to keep his voice down because, as he said, "pretty sure Riot is next door listening". But there was no longer any guessing. Kirishima had definitely been listening. Kirishima knew that him and Kaachan were close.

Kirishima walked back to his laundry, shrugging his shoulders casually. "I didn't think things were that serious, though."

Izuku chewed on his lip. "I don't know what you're talking about."

What did he mean 'that serious'? What things? Was he still talking about him and Kaachan? He had so many questions, he just wasn't sure which to ask first. Did this mean that he really had been teasing Kaachan that day in the classroom? And all those other times, he was hinting at Kaachan and Izuku being around each other?

The red head chuckled to himself as he put the last folded shirt into his basket. He picked it up and faced Izuku. Their eyes met again. Izuku wasn't sure what look was on his face, but the moment Kirishima saw it, his entire demeanor changed. The smile that had taken residence on his face softened, his eyes following suit. He didn't say a word as he walked back towards Izuku, but he stopped right next to him.

Izuku couldn't bring himself to look over at the boy standing next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized the red head wasn't looking at him either. They stayed like that for a moment longer than was comfortable before Kirishima sighed.

"I won't tell his secrets." He breathed. "But I don't believe ya'll are just friends."

Izuku could feel his heart stutter and his face flush as Kirishima started walking towards the door. He turned to look at him, to figure out what he meant, but he couldn't get his mouth to open. By the time he could utter the 'wait' that was sitting on his lips, Kirishima was already gone.

He leaned back into the washer, holding his chest. His heart was out of control and he wasn't really sure how he had remembered to breathe. A small laugh shook his chest. This seemed to be a really common occurrence when Kaachan was involved, even if he wasn't here.

He bit his lip and looked down at the clothes he was wearing. Kirishima knew Kaachan better than anyone else. He'd been through countless battles with him and stuck by his side even when he wasn't at his best. Kaachan's fiery personality never deterred him. Kirishima had even seen softer sides to him regularly that no one else in class was used to.

So if Kirishima didn't believe that Izuku and Kaachan were just friends…did that mean that he actually has a chance to be with Kaachan?


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: If I could scream from the rooftops how sorry that I am for ghosting you all, I would. I am SO so sorry about not posting since January. I tried so hard to keep up with this story while I have been going through this semester and it just wasn't happening. Any time I had a break and tried to write, nothing came out right. This story is my baby, honestly, so the idea of posting anything that wasn't 100% of what I wanted it to be felt so wrong and I didn't want to disappoint you guys either. Then, suddenly I didn't have the time to write at all. If it wasn't school or work related, I didn't do it. But I'm taking my very last final on Tuesday! I was so burnt out that I took some days off work to breathe and study. And suddenly I had the urge and the ability to write? And the things I wrote didn't come out sounding like complete trash? I went back and edited the hell out of what I had already written and finished up this chapter. I'm not officially back yet, unfortunately. My final is Tuesday, but it's my last final EVER. So I'm going to be going through a huge transition afterwards as I gear up for graduation and my state test to officially be able to get a job legally. I should be back to regular updates around May 18th.

Thank you so much for everyone who is still following, and still plans to follow this story. You guys are absolutely amazing for the support I've gotten while I was away. I hope you don't hate me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

The room was quiet when Izuku woke up. He groaned as he put his hands over his eyes before taking in a deep breath. The air was cold as it filled his lungs, almost pulling him back to reality. Still, his mind was replaying the images of his dream over and over. He ran a hand through his hair and stared up at the ceiling. Kirishima cornering him in the laundry room the other night really messed him up. His dreams had taken a life of their own the past two nights.

It hadn't helped that studying with Kaachan had felt so…weird that night, either.

They hadn't spoken much, which was still normal, more-or-less. But Izuku had felt like Kaachan was watching him the entire time they studied. Well, he kind of was watching him the whole time. Any time Izuku would get that nagging feeling that eyes were boring holes into the side of his head, he would look up towards the blonde that was sitting on his bed. Red eyes would immediately flicker down to the notebook in Kaachan's lap the moment they met the sight of Izuku's.

The whole time Bakugou had been there, Izuku's cheeks felt like they were on fire. Whether it was because of the conversation with Kirishima or the fact he knew Kaachan was looking at him, he wasn't sure.

Then, when Izuku had asked if it was okay if they trained on Saturday morning instead of Sunday, it was like Kaachan just bristled defensively. Izuku couldn't even remember the last time that Kaachan had looked so guarded around him. He had asked why, Izuku mentioned that he wanted to see Uraraka this weekend but the only day she was able to was on Sunday morning. Izuku had made sure to tell Kaachan that they could still study together Sunday night, but the other boy just seemed put off by the whole conversation.

He did agree to train on Saturday, though.

After he left, which wasn't long after that, Izuku read through the texts he'd shared with Uraraka. He'd asked her right after he got back from the laundry room if she could meet up with him to get some mochi and talk the following day after class. She had said she'd loved to, but asked if it could wait until Sunday morning because she was going to see her parents to celebrate her dad's birthday immediately after school let out. When he didn't respond immediately, she had sent another text telling him that if it couldn't wait then she could tell her parents something came up at school. As much as he wanted to take her up on that offer, he knew how much her parents meant to her. So, he had told her to go see them and he'd see her at her favorite mochi shop Sunday morning.

But knowing he wouldn't be able to get these feelings and all this information off his chest just made his mind run wild. Falling asleep had been more of a job than it should've been, honestly, but dealing with the dream that accompanied his sleep had been its own version of torment.

It had started innocently enough. He was at a class get-together at laser tag, when suddenly he was sitting down in a dark room staring down a hallway, aiming for anyone that came through the doorway. The feeling of déjà vu was so strong, but he couldn't place why; he just felt like he'd been there before. After ages of just sitting there, he'd leaned his head against the wall behind him. That's when Bakugou had shown up. He had kneeled in front of him, put hand next to Izuku's head, then lifted his chin with his other as he leaned down. The kiss had been fierce the moment their lips touched. One of Izuku's hands had immediately ran through the blonde's hair while his other arm wrapped itself around his waist. Izuku had pulled him close until he could feel the warmth of Kaachan's chest tickling his own.

It had felt like he couldn't breathe if Kaachan wasn't there.

He had been so embarrassed about that dream that he couldn't even look at Kaachan all day on Friday. Actually, he had done everything he could to avoid him. The moment Kaachan had walked into the room, Izuku made sure to start a conversation with someone else. If they were paired up together while training, Izuku would end the match as soon as possible and walk away. When Kaachan tried to study on Friday night, Izuku had made up an excuse about being too tired.

But when he fell asleep last night, it didn't get any better.

In that dream, they were in Kaachan's room. They had been watching a movie while sitting on Kaachan's bed when Kaachan laughed. Izuku can't even remember why it happened, but hearing that sound was just so…nice. He had turned to look at Kaachan when the blonde met his gaze. They stared at each other, Izuku's stomach in his throat, when his eyes flickered towards Kaachan's lips. Izuku bit his own lip and gently pushed Kaachan onto his back. He found his way between the blonde's legs, leaning over him. Their eyes were locked onto each other's, lips grazing ever so slightly, warm breath dancing across their lips in place of true contact. They had sat like that for what felt like eternity when Izuku felt his eyes and the small distance between them closing simultaneously.

The moment their lips had touched felt like fire. A slow burn at first, but after a few long and chaste kisses, they were suddenly deeper and more…needy. Hands were pulling at hair, at shirts, the waist bands of shorts; fingertips tracing the outline of muscle and fingernails digging into skin.

That's just…where he was right now. His mind kept replaying that scene over and over and over…and over. He could still feel the tickling touch of Kaachan's finger discovering the dips and curves of his abdomen, the way Kaachan's back rippled under his fingertips.

He shook his head, rolling over and shoving his face into his pillow to let out the groan that was bubbling up from his throat. How his mind had reacted to the idea of getting close to Kaachan was the most unfair thing to ever happen to him. His imagination was going to be the death of him.

The alarm beside his bed rang out, causing him to sigh as he reached up to turn it off. He wasn't really sure if he could face Kaachan like this, but what choice did he have? He turned him down from studying yesterday because of the first dream and then the one he had last night was even worse. Obviously putting distance between them didn't help anything. Maybe if he actually faced Kaachan head on, proved to himself that Kirishima was overlooking things, then his mind would stop torturing him.

But the entire walk to the running track his nerves were doing their fair share of torture. Everything in him was screaming at him to not go, that he'd do something to embarrass himself, that he'd screw up what him and Kaachan had made of their new friendship.

When his eyes landed on the blonde, his heart stammered in his chest and he could feel his stomach sitting at the back of his throat. Bakugou was doing his usual warm up, a mixture of push-ups and mountain climbers. He always liked to say that it was a "dynamic warm up for all the muscles" and refused to let anyone tell him differently.

The thought was enough to pull Izuku from his anxiety with a small smile. Kaachan was so stubborn about so many things, it was one of the reasons Izuku looked up to him so much. He always knew what he wanted, how to get it, and didn't let anyone stand in his way.

Unlike Izuku, who wasn't sure how to handle even knowing what he wanted when it came to Kaachan.

He stretched his arms and he got closer to the other boy, watching how straight his back stayed and how his muscles moved with so much fluidity.

He swallowed hard. He had to stay calm. There couldn't be any getting distracted by how Kaachan looked today. That was the entire issue with his situation.

"Good morning, Kaachan!" He greeted with a grin.

The blonde glanced at him, but continued his warm up for a few more repetitions before sitting up on his knees. He eyed Izuku up and down before nodding his head at him in greeting. Izuku couldn't help but frown a little. Something was off.

"Are you mad at me for changing the day?" He cleared his throat after he spoke, his voice had come out a little raspier than he had planned.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, muttering a quiet 'no' as he stood on his feet and walked to their normal sparring area. Izuku followed suit, watching the other boy cautiously.

"Is something wrong then?"

The blonde exhaled sharply as he turned, taking his sparring stance. "No. Let's train."

Izuku sighed in defeat, nodding as he took his own stance. If Kaachan didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't make him. It would just serve as a distraction for both of them, anyways.

Izuku took off immediately, stopping just short of running into Bakugou before swinging his leg up to land a kick on his side. Bakugou jumped backwards then used the momentum of hitting the ground to slingshot back towards Izuku, landing a right hook to his face before putting distance between them.

Izuku blinked as the stinging started in his cheek. A frown followed as he watched Bakugou study him for his next move. He nodded to himself before taking off towards him again, swinging wide with a right hook. As Bakugou lifted his arm to block, Izuku followed through with a kick to the blonde's side. Bakugou sputtered as he grabbed Izuku's arm and drug him to the ground with him.

The air around them seemed to thicken, Izuku panting ever so slightly as he stared down at the boy below him. Their eyes seemed to dance with each other as their breath mixed in the air. It was enough to bring heat to Izuku's cheeks.

Bakugou bucked Izuku to the side, straddling his thighs and pinning his arms to his sides. His usual smirk spread across his lips as he looked down at Izuku.

"I win." He gloated.

Izuku nodded quietly as the blonde stood and offered a hand down to him. He hesitated for a second before grabbing it, pulling himself up. Maybe training with Kaachan actually was a bad idea today. They had only went one round and he was already distracted by being so close to Kaachan. If he wasn't careful –

A kick to his stomach stopped him mid-thought, knocking all the air from his lungs. He gasped for air, coughing and sputtering as he put distance between the two of them. Bakugou was grinning at him when Izuku turned to look at him. Izuku bit his lip, frowning, before taking off towards the blonde.

If he wasn't careful, Kaachan was going to take every opportunity he had to land a punch – or a kick, apparently.

Bakugou swung wide as Izuku closed the distance between them, but Izuku ducked down to swipe the blonde's legs out from under him. Bakugou teetered to the side, landing hard on his arm before spinning into a crouch. Izuku grinned up at him as he tackled him at the waist, pinning Bakugou's arms under his legs. The blonde sneered as he struggled under Izuku.

"I win." Izuku mused, before standing and offering a hand down to Bakugou.

He took it, pulling himself up. They both stretched their arms out before taking stances again. Izuku couldn't help but notice the sweat forming on Bakugou's face as a single droplet slid its way down his temple and clung to his chin. He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to regain his focus. The last time he didn't focus, Kaachan landed a really good kick.

But it was so hard.

Izuku chewed on his lip as he stared at the blonde. There were so many things he wanted to do, to say. There were so many questions he had, especially after talking to Kirishima. His mind had been on overdrive since that night, whether he was awake or not. Why did Kaachan start calling him by name? Why did he agree to study with him? Why did he let him borrow his clothes? Why was he okay with sleeping in the same bed together? Why was Kaachan so at ease with him here recently?

Honestly, all he had to do to get those answer was just…move his mouth.

He swallowed hard. "Hey…Kaachan?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his back slammed to the ground. Bakugou pinned him down, glaring at him. Izuku groaned before bucking Bakugou over his head and scrambling to his feet, standing defensively.

"You can't act like I'm the one who isn't in the right mindset and then give this shit show of a training session." Bakugou growled, cracking his knuckles.

Izuku swallowed as he watched the blonde carefully. "It wasn't the plan."

Bakugou closed the distance between them quickly, swinging. Izuku blocked with his arm before rotating and landing a kick to his side. The blonde grunted, grabbing Izuku's leg and jerking backwards enough to make him lose his balance. Izuku struggled to stay upright before he decided to squat down and lunge at Bakugou. He tackled him, straddling his hips as he pinned Bakugou's wrists above his head.

Izuku took a few deep breaths in an attempt to quit panting. "I wasn't ready." He breathed.

The first thing Bakugou did was roll his eyes, which was expected. He was always the one to say that a hero is always ready and berating people who didn't work on their instincts in a fight. The second thing he did was give an overconfident smirk, which was not expected. Izuku pushed his wrists down harder into the ground in an attempt to stop whatever the blonde was planning, forcing their faces closer together.

It was the warm breath that tickled his lips that had alarms blaring in his mind about just how close it made them. Bakugou was still giving that same look, completely unfazed. Izuku swallowed for what felt like the hundredth time; he just couldn't get that feeling of something sitting in the back of his throat to go away.

Bakugou ran his tongue across his upper teeth, causing Izuku's heart to stutter and his breath to hitch.

"Can't say I took you as a top, Izuku." He taunted, his smirk still unwavering.

But that was all it took to shatter Izuku's resolve. Everything around them seemed to fade away as Izuku studied the boy below him.

Kaachan's chest was rising and falling irregularly as he worked to breathe normally, sweat was glistening on his skin in the morning sunlight. His piercing red eyes were watching him smugly as he prepared for the response Izuku would have. Instead, Izuku unclasped his hands from around Bakugou's wrists and planted them on each side of the blonde's head.

Izuku bit his lip as he watched Bakugou's brows furrow in confusion.

He was so close, Kaachan's body was so warm. He wanted nothing more than to know what Kaachan's lips actually felt like against his.

Slowly, Izuku leaned down until their lips were only separated by a fraction of air. His eyes never left the red ones that were now widely staring back into his. He heard Bakugou swallow before he let out a breath that danced across Izuku's lips. Both of them were breathing harder now than when they landed; Izuku could feel their chests touching as they inhaled at the same time.

All he had to do was just move forward.

If he just moved forward….

It felt like a mixture electricity and warm velvet all at once when their lips just barely grazed each other. Bakugou's breathing came to a sudden halt as soon as it happened.

Izuku froze, swallowing hard. Everything was moving in slow motion and way to fast all at once as he realized what he was doing. His heart crashed against his chest, trying with everything it had to get out. His lungs burned, his throat burned, his cheeks burned. Everything felt like it was on fire.

He shook his head as he sat up abruptly, crawling backwards off of Bakugou, sputtering some jumbled version of "I'm so sorry", "I didn't mean to", and "that wasn't what it looked like". Bakugou sat up, rubbing his bottom lip with his thumb as he stared at Izuku incredulously.

Izuku could feel how wide his eyes were as he gawked back at the other boy.

What had he done? Why had he done that? Did Kaachan really say his given name? Why didn't Kaachan force him off? This wasn't another dream, was it? What was he going to do? Kaachan must be so angry right now.

There was nothing he could say that was going to fix this.

"Why–" Bakugou started, but was interrupted with Izuku jumping to his feet.

"I'm so sorry, Kaachan!" He yelped out as he turned on his heels and ran back to the dorms.

His chest was still burning when he made it back to his room and sunk to the floor.

After all of the friendship building they had done…after all of that….

What was he going to do now?


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Adulting is so hard, you guys. I passed my finals, I passed my state test, and I got a new job in the field I went to school for! I've been training for the past month so my schedule has been a hot mess, but it's finally starting to chill out. You can definitely expect more consistent updates now, but this series IS starting to wrap up. I hope you guys are going to continue sticking around, and thank you for staying through the long breaks so far! You guys are the best and I absolutely love reading all your reviews and messages about the story and kind words sent to me about things I say in my author's notes. I'm really lucky to have such amazing readers. All that said, this chapter is a little different...but I had to add some build up for what's to come. I hope you enjoy! Until the next chapter, lovelies!

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

Uraraka nodded solemnly before taking a sip of her coffee. When she had ordered it, Izuku had noticed she had added a ton of cream and sugar…but that was really his entire bribe to get her out here. Sweet coffee and morning pastries; a definite way to get her to meet since she has such a big sweet tooth.

She sat her cup back down and tapped it thoughtfully, watching Izuku carefully. He gripped his hands together in an attempt to not fidget in front of her. The attempt was a giant fail, as his leg still bouncing nervously under the table, but at least she couldn't see that.

"So that's why you haven't texted as much in the evenings." Her words were playful, she stuck out her tongue for good measure, but then her face relaxed again. "You've gotten yourself into a major pickle."

Izuku chuckled anxiously. "You could say that."

"Have either of you actually talked like normal human beings?" She smiled lightheartedly, but Izuku almost flinched at the question.

How could they talk when talking would break the spell between them? Talking to Kaachan would mean that things could go wrong. Well, it's not like they weren't already going wrong. Uraraka didn't even know how wrong things had gone yet. All she knew so far was the bare minimum. He sighed and shook his head.

"No? We mostly just study or train. There's not much time to talk."

She snorted. "You've been hanging out almost every single day for who-knows-how-long and neither of you have talked to each other?"

"Well, I…uhh…" Izuku swallowed hard. "We did go out once for lunch; there wasn't much conversation but there was some. And we've played video games and watched a movie before too instead of studying."

Uraraka's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "And you two still haven't had a conversation?"

Izuku shrugged, rubbing his chin while he tried to remember if there was something he overlooked. "Not really. The closest we've gotten to a conversation outside of training is when he pinned me to the door to tell me not to talk to people so openly about us studying…or when he told me to get back in bed while I –"

"What?!"

The coffee shop around them seemed to quiet down as some people looked over at them. Uraraka had slammed her hands down on the table as she had stood up. Heat rushed to Izuku's cheeks while she stared him down, silently demanding answers. The saliva in his mouth seemed thicker than normal; he swallowed while motioning for her to sit down and be quiet. He glanced around the coffee shop and almost sighed with relief when he realized everyone was brushing off his friend's outburst.

But Uraraka was still staring him down.

"You better explain what's going on, Deku." She stated flatly.

Izuku nodded. "So, I wasn't…completely forthcoming with the details."

Uraraka wrapped her hands around her coffee, her gaze unwavering as she brought it up to her lips and drank. Izuku almost wanted to laugh. She hadn't been this set on getting an answer from him about something in a long time. Seeing her so focused was always a treat. Not even Kaachan was as headstrong as her if she was dead set on something. He felt himself sigh.

His chest was tight and felt like it would shatter if he moved the wrong way. Almost as if it were made of glass and had rubber bands tightly strapped around it. There was so much to explain that he hadn't been able to tell her yet. All he'd mentioned so far was the basics; they studied together and trained together.

And that he, maybe, had something like a crush on his childhood friend.

Uraraka tapped her glass and cleared her throat, obviously becoming impatient. A nervous smile tugged at his lips as he scratched the back of his head. She raised a brow at him, unamused. He sighed again, clearing his throat and readjusted himself in his seat. This was going to take a while.

So, he started from the beginning. The very beginning. He told her how everything crashed down around him when Kaachan had said his name during training forever ago, he told her about how Kaachan showed up randomly outside his door with notes, he told her that sometimes he had these really irrational dreams about kissing Kaachan, the way Kaachan's always calm, how they'd both fallen asleep in each other's rooms, meeting with Kirishima in the laundry room, how he'd held Kaachan's hand while the other boy slept…how he stole a quick kiss during their training the day before.

His friend was quiet during the entire spiel; she took in every ounce of information with a serious look on her face, almost as if she were taking mental notes. When he finally stopped, she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. It felt like minutes passed as she stared at him and mulled over everything he had just told her.

He breathed slowly but deeply as he anticipated her reaction.

She nodded to herself before leaning back forward, resting her head on her chin as she smiled at him. "Izuku…you're an idiot."

Izuku furrowed his brows. That was not the response he was prepared for.

"I –"

"Nope." She raised her hand, cutting him off. "You did your talking, now it's my turn."

He nodded, his lips pursed. Uraraka wasn't normally this direct. At some point, she had started to take on some of Mina's and Tsu's mannerisms, but only when she wanted to get her points across. This was definitely one of those times.

"You are an idiot. How many signs does a guy have to give you for you to just…get it? Izuku, you are so smart. You can come up with a plan on the battlefield while everyone else is still ten steps behind you, and you know the logistics of why it all works the way it does. You study people and know how to anticipate their next move, you know what they're going to do and why. You've known Bakugou since you were toddlers…and you have blown off every single hint – every neon, blinking billboard sign – that he has set up for you because why? You think it's a joke? A prank? An elaborate set up to make fun of you?" She sighed and sat back into her seat, rubbing her temples. "Izuku. I know your history with Bakugou is rough. But, honestly, there is so much that doesn't add up with that train of thought. Wouldn't he have told someone if it was a set up? Eijirou definitely wouldn't be in on something like that; he doesn't think it's manly to bring others down. He would've let you know what was going on, or he wouldn't be egging it on. Kaminari would either be laughing every chance he saw you two together and he would get an earful from Kyoka, so that throws him out too. Bakugou wouldn't tell anyone else. And if he hasn't even told _them_ that you two have been spending all this time together, that you two have been intimate in the ways you have…what does that tell you?"

Izuku frowned. His heart was beating slowly in his chest, but it was something he was very aware of due to the calm bustle of the coffee shop around them. He chewed his lip lightly, eyes darting around their table before landing on the chocolate orbs watching him from across the table.

Maybe…maybe he hadn't messed up their friendship during training.

* * *

It was dark and quiet, the only sound in the room was the steady breaths Izuku took. The light from under the door caused shadows to stretch across the room, his alarm clock glowed 9:42 brightly from its spot on his desk. If he hadn't talked to Uraraka earlier, Izuku was sure he'd be an anxious mess right now. He had to be at Kaachan's room to study in about fifteen minutes.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't anxious at all, but he wasn't having a mental breakdown, so that was nice.

He ran a hand through his hair as he stared at his ceiling from where he laid on his bed. Honestly, he should probably walk into Kaachan's room with a plan. Making a plan before battle was always the right thing to do, but Uraraka made it clear earlier that this wasn't a battle. There was more to it. And a lot of it depended on how Kaachan was going to react to seeing him since….

Izuku groaned, rolling onto his side and staring at his clock.

Why hadn't he just been able to control himself? What made that moment so necessary to just…lean down and kiss Kaachan like that? It wasn't romantic. In fact, Kaachan was making a snide comment like usual. What if all that tension was one-sided? Even though Uraraka was so set on the idea that Kaachan felt the same way, there was no way to know that. She only had one side of the story, and that side was biased.

He inhaled slowly and closed his eyes. All he had to do was just…go study. Like he has been doing for what feels like forever. Nothing could really be that different. Right?

He exhaled, sitting up. He could sit here and pep-talk himself all night while doing nothing. Uraraka would be so mad at him if he didn't go tonight, especially now that she was involved and knew what was going on. So, if not for himself, he needed to go for her.

That was the extra push he needed to stand and grab his bag before heading towards Bakugou's room. But the entire walk there he could feel the doubt and apprehension take over. As he reached up to knock on Bakugou's door, his chest felt like it would cave in any second.

Maybe he had been too confident while laying down earlier.

He frowned at the thought before finally tapping on the door in front of him. The hallway was quiet, and there were no sounds coming from inside the room in front of him. The longer he waited for the door to open, though, the more anxious he became.

Why was he here? After not only kissing Kaachan, he had also run away without an explanation. Both were stupid decisions. If he had at least come up with an excuse, maybe Kaachan wouldn't be so mad. What if Kaachan didn't answer the door? What if Kaachan didn't want to see him anymore? What if—

The door handle turned and the door opened just enough for Izuku to see Bakugou squinting at him. Sleep seemed to be clinging to his eyes, but Izuku knew that he was too stubborn to rub his eyes in front of anyone else. They both stared at each other for a moment. The silence around them was thick, like a weighted fog. He could feel his saliva thickening as the worry started to settle in his bones.

Izuku rubbed the back of his head, stumbling to find the right words to say. "You, uh, I –"

"I didn't think you were coming." Bakugou grumbled, letting the door swing open before walking towards his bed.

He climbed onto his bed, scooting back to sit on it like he normally does on Izuku's bed when they study. He seemed to pull a notebook out of thin air and start scribbling on it. Izuku swallowed hard, trying to keep his mouth from feeling sticky. He walked in, quietly shutting the door behind him. He chewed his lip for a moment, debating on where to sit. Usually he sat on Kaachan's bed…so with how things have gone, is Kaachan expecting him to sit next to him? Or was he forcing him to sit at the desk? Honestly, he should probably sit at the desk until he knew where they stood.

Before he could take a step towards the desk, though, Bakugou rolled his eyes and motioned for Izuku to sit on the bed as usual. Izuku felt his veins run cold, but he nodded and made his way closer to the other boy. He awkwardly stood at the end corner, gripping his backpack strap firmly against his shoulder.

Why was it so hard to just sit on the bed like normal? They have watched a movie together, played video games together…bumping shoulders wasn't abnormal anymore. So why did this seem so intimidating?

"Either sit down or go back to your own fucking dorm."

Izuku's eyes shot up to meet Bakugou's instantly. His green eyes danced between the two steadfast red ones staring back at him. He bit his bottom lip again – he was sure it would be red and puffy before the night was over if he didn't quit biting it – before nodding and sliding back until his back hit the wall.

They were a decent amount of space away from each other. Another person could probably fit between them fairly easily. A wave of relief crashed through Izuku's chest as he pulled out his own notebook and pen, opening it to the notes for their upcoming test. If they stayed this far apart, studying wouldn't be an absolute mess. He could even focus on what he was studying.

Or so he thought.

For the first fifteen or so minutes, he did really well at focusing on his notebook. But then Kaachan shifted. It was such a small movement, but it moved the bed enough that it caught Izuku's attention. When he glanced up at the blonde, he was frowning at his notebook. His pen was frozen on the page like he was frustrated with whatever he just wrote or circled. A small smile tugged at the corners of Izuku's lips as he looked back at his notebook.

The rest of the night was history.

He found himself glancing over at the other boy every so often. Sometimes the blonde was glaring at his notebook, sometimes he was staring at the wall on the other side of the room, and sometimes he had his head leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed.

Each time he caught Bakugou doing any of these, he could feel uncertainty clawing up his throat. He kept trying to swallow it down, but the feeling was relentless.

Kaachan seemed annoyed. He was never this frustrated while they studied before. It only made sense that he was upset with Izuku. That was the logical reason. Izuku had messed up their schedule and how they normally function around each other all at once. He had switched up their days and then…bolted from training. That's not even including the kiss. Of course Kaachan would be mad at him; he probably hadn't been in this situation before. Izuku definitely hadn't. Kaachan had only ever been really close with Kirishima – although Kaminari, Sero, and Mina also seemed to get closer to him in the last year or so. But none of them have ever seemed to have any chemistry.

Then again…Izuku hadn't had chemistry with him either. They had fought relentlessly almost their entire first year, then Kaachan had ignored him until about halfway through their second year. But they had never gone past normal classroom conversation. What if Kaachan had study sessions like this with one of his other friends before? What if he had actually had a relationship with one of them but no one knew? He had definitely seemed to keep the studying and training with Izuku from Kirishima, though Kirishima acted like he wasn't fooled.

Izuku laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. This whole situation was so frustrating. He wanted to believe what Uraraka was saying – why wouldn't he want to believe that he actually had a chance – but reading Kaachan was a lot harder than everyone else. Even though they were a lot closer than they had been before, understanding Kaachan was like trying to decipher a fluent conversation in different language when you only know the basics like numbers and colors.

He sighed, looking over at Bakugou's clock. It was somehow almost midnight. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, he probably needed to head back to his room and get some sleep. Focusing on class tomorrow was sure to be hard with the other distraction he had going. Adding a lack of sleep just seemed like a bad idea.

He cleared his throat, glancing at Bakugou who was glaring at his notebook like it owed him money. "I'm headed out for the night, Kaachan."

Red eyes glanced up at him, seemingly confused by what he was saying, but then Bakugou nodded and looked back down at his notebook. Izuku shook his head before getting up and packing his bag.

Maybe Uraraka was wrong. She only had half the story and she was assuming so much of what Kaachan was feeling based on what Izuku felt. That wasn't fair to Kaachan at all. Izuku could feel his face scrunching up with tension.

Or maybe Uraraka was right. She had told him over and over to actually talk to Kaachan. Had she really assumed how he felt? All she really did was question what Izuku had been assuming, and he made new assumptions based on that. Really, he was the one making the whole situation difficult. But actually trying to talk about what happened when they trained on Saturday just seemed like a bad plan. If Kaachan got flustered, the conversation would go really wrong really quick.

Right as Izuku's hand touched the door handle, Bakugou cleared his throat. Izuku froze where he stood, just barely turning so he could see the blonde. Bakugou hadn't moved, but his face was slightly turned away from Izuku.

"We studying tomorrow?" His voice was quiet, a half-hearted attempt at the bark he would normally have.

Izuku couldn't stop the smile from forming on his lips as the question sunk in. "Of course."

Bakugou grunted, but didn't say anything else.

"Night, Kaachan. See you tomorrow."

Izuku paused for a second, waiting for a response. When none came, he started to head out of the room. Right as the door began to close behind him, he heard a quiet "night, Izuku". Heat rushed to his cheeks as he gently let the door click shut.

Maybe he hadn't completely ruined things just yet.


End file.
